DOGE Impact: Layoffs Begin At US Health Agencies, food, Research, disease tracking departments hit

New Delhi: The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is undergoing a significant restructuring, with notices of dismissal issued to employees on Tuesday. This massive overhaul is expected to result in up to 10,000 job losses. These layoffs come just days after President Donald Trump took steps to strip federal workers of their collective bargaining rights at HHS and other agencies.

Secretary Kennedy’s Plan to Reshape HHS

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a sweeping plan last week to revamp the department. HHS, through its various agencies, is responsible for crucial health functions such as tracking disease outbreaks, funding medical research, ensuring food and medicine safety, and overseeing health insurance programs for nearly half of the U.S. population. The plan includes the consolidation of several agencies under a new office, the Administration for a Healthy America, aimed at streamlining operations but at the cost of substantial job cuts.

Job Cuts Impacting Critical Health Services

The layoffs are expected to shrink HHS’s workforce to 62,000, eliminating nearly 10,000 positions, with an additional 10,000 employees expected to leave through early retirement and voluntary separation offers. Among the hardest hit areas will be human resources, procurement, finance, and information technology. Positions in “high-cost regions” and those deemed “redundant” will be prioritized for cuts.

Impact on Public Health and Emergency Response

Democratic lawmakers, including Senator Patty Murray of Washington, have raised concerns about the long-term impact of these layoffs on public health, especially in the wake of natural disasters or infectious disease outbreaks. Murray warned that the cuts could jeopardize the country’s ability to respond effectively to crises such as the ongoing measles outbreak. 

In addition to federal job cuts, states and local health departments are already feeling the effects of a recent HHS decision to retract over $11 billion in COVID-19-related funding. Some local health officials have reported that hundreds of jobs may be lost as a result, some of which have already been eliminated.

Layoffs at Key Agencies Within HHS

The cuts will target key areas within HHS, including:

FDA: 3,500 jobs at the Food and Drug Administration, responsible for food, drug, and medical device safety.

CDC: 2,400 jobs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, vital for monitoring disease outbreaks.

NIH: 1,200 jobs at the National Institutes of Health, the world’s premier health and medical research institution.

CMS: 300 jobs at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, overseeing Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act marketplace.

In addition to the massive job cuts, President Trump signed an executive order on Thursday to end collective bargaining rights for federal agencies, including the CDC and other health departments.