U.S. Health Agencies Begin Terminations

April 1, 2025 TruthUSA

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy recently announced the termination of 10,000 workers.

WASHINGTON—Employees reported on April 1 that U.S. health agencies have begun the layoffs as recently declared by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

An individual with decades of federal service expressed her surprise when she and her colleagues found themselves locked out of the workplace after routinely working over 10 hours a day.

“What stings is that all this dedication led to this outcome,” she shared with the Epoch Times.

She mentioned she might look for jobs at the county level or consider volunteer opportunities.

Another affected employee from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), a young man, expressed uncertainty about job prospects in Washington as he begins his job search.

He criticized the layoff handling, noting that some employees initially couldn’t retrieve their belongings, and that his termination email included what he described as false information regarding his job performance.

“This was an uninformed, unscientific process, where it seems they were merely aiming for a target number,” he remarked.

The employees requested anonymity as they are currently in discussions regarding severance packages.

Other dismissed workers were observed on Tuesday either carrying their personal items out of the HHS building in Washington or being barred from entering the premises.

“It is unacceptable that RFK Jr. is preventing federal workers from accessing HHS. Employees are outside the building being informed they are no longer employed,” Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.) stated on the social media platform X. “These federal workers have faithfully served our country and deserve better treatment from the Trump Administration.”

At the time of publication, HHS had not responded to requests for comment.

The department previously laid off about 3,200 newer employees but is now reinstating them under directives from a federal judge.

Kennedy announced on March 27 that the agency planned to terminate about 10,000 workers, in addition to those who have already accepted early retirement or buyout offers.

“We are streamlining HHS to enhance the agency’s efficiency and effectiveness,” Kennedy declared in a video.

He mentioned that this process, which aims to reduce the workforce to 62,000 employees, will be “a painful period,” ultimately resulting in an agency better equipped to serve the public and realize his vision of “Making America Healthy Again.”

HHS encompasses entities such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Former FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf noted on LinkedIn that the recent changes signify the end of the FDA as it has been recognized, stating that many leaders with institutional knowledge and expertise in product development and safety are no longer employed.

“I fear history will view this as a significant error. I would be relieved to be proven incorrect, but even if that were the case, there is no justifiable reason to treat people this way.”

The FDA did not respond to inquiries by the time of publication.

Requests for information directed at the CDC and NIH were referred to HHS.

The health agency previously stated that 35 percent of the 10,000 terminations would come from the FDA, 24 percent from the CDC, 12 percent from the NIH, and 3 percent from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Dr. Peter Marks, a key official at the FDA regarding vaccines, resigned prior to the onset of the layoffs.

The terminations began as new NIH Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya assumed his role. Bhattacharya commented in a statement that he intends to “build upon the agency’s rich history of promoting breakthroughs in biology and medicine by supporting gold-standard research and innovation to tackle the chronic disease crisis.”

Several Congressional members, including Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), expressed concerns in a letter to Kennedy regarding the extensive changes at HHS.

They asserted that the terminations and restructuring “will undermine the Department’s capacity and expertise on a range of issues that will affect communities and individuals nationwide,” also emphasizing their belief that the merging of certain divisions is illegal.

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