Here’s which departments are experiencing the largest layoffs and how those cuts with impact Americans.
Federal health agencies are undergoing one of the most significant restructurings in decades, with 20,000 positions being eliminated at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The move, announced by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., consolidates multiple agencies under a new umbrella group and is expected to save $1.8 billion annually.
The shake-up impacts departments that oversee prescription drug safety, infectious disease tracking, food supply standards, and public health research. Roughly 10,000 employees are being laid off, with another 10,000 positions shed through early retirements and voluntary buyouts, reducing the workforce from 82,000 to 62,000, according to HHS.Why It Matters
HHS administers health insurance programs that affect nearly half the U.S. population, including Medicare and Medicaid, and regulates medical products and food. Critics warn that the scale of the cuts could jeopardize disease response capacity, scientific research, and regulatory oversight.
„They may as well be renaming it the Department of Disease because their plan is putting lives in serious jeopardy“, Senator Patty Murray, a Democrat from Washington, said on Friday.
The restructuring plan creates a new agency, the Administration for a Healthy America (AHA), which absorbs the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, Health Resources and Services Administration, and several others. HHS said the realignment will improve health for lower-income Americans and improve areas like maternal health, mental health, primary care, children’s health, HIV/AIDS, and environmental health.What Does HHS Do?
The HHS oversees various programs and regulatory responsibilities. It funds biomedical research through the National Institutes of Health (NIH), monitors disease outbreaks via the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and ensures drug and food safety through the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It also manages health insurance programs such as Medicare and Medicaid and plays a central role in emergency health responses and health equity initiatives across the country .How Many Employees Work at HHS?
Before the current restructuring, HHS employed approximately 82,000 full-time staff. Under the new plan, that number will drop to 62,000, the result of 10,000 direct layoffs and another 10,000 positions eliminated through buyouts and early retirements .
