By Zo Terrana
Staff Writer
The United States Department of Health and Human Services has seen a drastic cut in the agency's number of jobs due to the efforts of President Donald Trump’s administration. The HHS, a cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government, may see up to 10,000 employees laid off, according to CBS News. This number was doubled as another 10,000 employees took “early retirement and voluntary separation offers,” CBS news reported.
In September 2024, HHS had 92,620 positions, according to CBS News. The job reductions are set to shrink the HHS to 62,000, entailing a quarter reduction of the entire staff. The overall restructuring of the HHS will be handled by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The layoff notice came abruptly, with some HHS employees finding out about their firing at the door of their workplace, unable to use their now disabled security badge. Other workers were left waiting outside their buildings in lengthy lines due to the overall confusion.
As part of the federal reduction and overall reconfiguration of the HHS, the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health will see a two-third staff cut, laying off 873 workers, according to CBS News.
NIOSH offices in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Spokane, Washington could specifically be impacted immensely by the federal reduction. The office of the NIOSH’s director, known as the National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory, could potentially see all of their employees affected by the cuts, according to CBS News. This laboratory is entrusted to conduct the approval of N95 respirators and other personal protective equipment. The effective date for these cuts could potentially be June 30, according to CBS News.
The Food and Drug Administration, whose purpose is to configure safety standards for foods, tobacco, medications and medical devices, could be struck with a loss of 3,500 workers, according to AP News. FDA workers whose jobs include reviewing new drug and medical implants, setting policy for electronic cigarettes and tobacco products, as well as the entire FDA press office, will be impacted.
Around 2,400 jobs under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention could be on the chopping block, according to AP News. The CDC’s responsibility is to work to prevent diseases caused by infections, genetics and environmental poisons.
Many of the cuts were in areas involving deaths or complications from factors other than infectious diseases. Programs that track and prevent asthma, smoking, gun violence, climate change, among other health threats could be affected by the federal cuts, according to AP News.
The CDC’s developing changes, guided by Trump administration aides, are aimed at fast implementation. Certain Trump officials have told career staff to structure plans to execute Kennedy’s plan in a matter of weeks, according to CBS News. The overall restructuring will lead to multiple agencies being “merged” into the CDC.
The National Institutes of Health, the world's leading agency for medical research, has also been put under fire by the federal reduction initiative. The NIH funds research for cancer, HIV, Alzheimers and other diseases at their facilities, universities and labs.
The NIH was expected to lose 1,200 jobs on April 1, which will be compounded by the more than 1,000 NIH workers who have previously been laid off by the Trump administration, according to AP News. The Trump administration has also rescinded hundreds of NIH grants directed to national scientists.
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, which is tasked with overseeing Medicare, Medicaid and the marketplace of the Affordable Care Act, is now eliminating 300 jobs, according to AP News. The eliminated jobs have been centered on the agency’s Office of Minority Health, Office of Equal Right and Opportunity and the Office of Program Operations & Local Engagement, according to AP News.
Twelve leading mental health and substance abuse organizations released a joint statement to reflect on the federal cuts, according to WESH2. This statement spoke on the organizations’ stances, stating that the cuts “alarmed” the prominent organizations.
The letter continued by stating that they are worried about what the HHS cuts means for the mental health and substance abuse organizations' future, according to WESH2.
The letter then put the health secretary into the spotlight, demanding an answer into how these drastic changes to the HHS could possibly impact the lives of tens of millions of Americans suffering from behavioral health conditions if these mental health organizations are targeted.
