On Tuesday, the Trump administration moved forward with mass layoffs at U.S. health agencies. Security guards refused many employees’ entry just hours after an estimated 10,000 staffers received dismissal notices. The mass layoffs affected many top agencies under the Department of Health and Human Services. Those agencies included the CDC, FDA, and the National Institutes of Health. The layoffs are part of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s plan to slash spending and shrink the government.
Robert F. Kennedy Calls Cuts “Essential”
The cuts, which have so far reduced headcounts from 62,000 to 82,000, were called “essential” by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. However, Kennedy failed to mention that the layoffs included ousting top scientists who oversaw cancer research, public health, and drug and vaccine approvals.
Concerns have been raised about how the U.S. will properly respond to health emergencies. The U.S. is currently dealing with a measles outbreak and the bird flu.
Top Officials Were Let Go
Some of the country’s top departures from the FDA include Peter Stein, the director of the Office of New Drugs. Stein formally resigned on Tuesday after being informed he would be fired. The head of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco division, Brian King, was fired, as was Peter Marks, who was the FDA’s top vaccine official.
Reportedly, several staff members have chosen to leave, and employees who test products have said that they find themselves struggling to meet deadlines.
Former Commissioner Speaks Out
“The FDA as we’ve known it is finished, with most of the leaders with institutional knowledge and a deep understanding of product development and safety no longer employed,” former Commissioner Robert Califf wrote on LinkedIn. “I believe that history will see this as a huge mistake. It will be interesting to hear from the new leadership how they plan to put ‘Humpty Dumpty’ back together again.”
As employees attempted to enter the Mary Switzer building that houses both HHS offices and divisions, they were informed by security guards that they were being fired. Employees were given tickets and told to go home. Employees stood in lines for hours, unsure if they would be let in or fired. Reuters has reported that the employees who received tickets were told to call to retrieve their “essential equipment.”
Seventeen employees of the FDA in the press office were let go. Vid Desai, the FDA’s chief information officer, was let go. The mass layoffs took place on the FDA Commissioner Marty Makary and NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya’s first day on the job.
Some Staffers Will Be Reinstated
Thousands of employees laid off this week by the Department of Health and Human Services and other agencies it oversees may be asked to temporarily continue working for two months. Officials also said on Thursday that some of the others may be reinstated.
“There were some programs that were cut that are being reinstated,” Robert F. Kennedy said. “Personnel that should not have been cut were cut — we’re reinstating them, and that was always the plan.”
