HHS slashes workforce across public health agencies

Following the announcement of the planned “transformation” of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Department of Government Efficiency instituted mass layoffs across critical agencies like the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In what an FDA employee described as a “bloodbath,” roughly 10,000 positions were expected to be eliminated from HHS. For instance, the majority of employees in the CDC’s Division of Reproductive Health were fired, including those overseeing the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) and those working on Assisted Reproductive Technology (like IVF), as well as most of the employees working on sexual violence prevention. What’s more, entire teams focused on diversity, civil rights, and minority health at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and on Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests at the CDC and National Institutes of Health were cut. When combined with HHS’ other efforts, including early retirement and deferred resignations, the Department is expected to see a total downsizing from 82,000 to 62,000 full-time employees.   

At the same time, HHS is undergoing significant internal restructuring, with half of the Department’s regional offices slated to be shuttered and its 28 current divisions reduced to 15. Multiple agencies – including the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) – will be combined, creating a new Administration for a Healthy America (AHA). Additionally, Secretary Kennedy plans to reorganize several other agencies, transferring the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) to CDC and transferring the Administration for Community Living’s (ACL) programs to other agencies, including the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and CMS. Finally, Kennedy announced a new role, the Assistant Secretary for Enforcement, who will oversee the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) among other HHS offices.