The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services began mass layoffs Tuesday, dismissing thousands of employees as part of Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s aggressive restructuring plan, according to internal agency communications and employee accounts.
Workers arrived to find security badges deactivated and systems access revoked, halting critical programs on sexually transmitted diseases, global health, and birth defect research. Kennedy’s overhaul eliminates 10,000 roles agency-wide, with voluntary buyouts slashing total staff from 82,000 to 62,000.
The FDA lost Peter Stein, director of its Office of New Drugs, after he rejected a reassignment, while tobacco regulator Brian King was placed on administrative leave. Nearly all FDA press officers and NIH division leaders also departed.
Employees received termination notices by 5 a.m., with some offered transfers to remote posts like Alaska’s Indian Health Service. The restructuring merges 28 divisions into 15, including a new “Administration for a Healthy America” to consolidate public health efforts.
Pandemic preparedness teams will shift to the CDC, relocating 1,000 staff. Kennedy claims the $1.8 billion annual savings will combat chronic diseases like diabetes, but critics warn of destabilized medical research and oversight.
Democrats, including Senator Patty Murray, argue the cuts “gamble with lives” by weakening disease prevention. Kennedy, a controversial appointee due to past anti-vaccine advocacy, has already halted flu vaccine campaigns and pledged probes into chronic illness drivers.
The moves align with President Trump’s broader federal workforce reductions, including revoked union protections at health agencies. While supporters tout efficiency gains, public health experts fear eroded capacity to address emerging crises amid rising chronic disease rates.
The restructuring leaves unanswered questions about long-term impacts on drug safety reviews, tobacco regulation, and pandemic readiness.