US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Junior has announced a comprehensive change in federal public health agencies, including ending 10,000 jobs and consolidating several departments, Roots Informed
Reorganization will affect agencies such as Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Disease Control and Prevention Center (CDC), and National Institute of Health (NIH).
Between job cuts, 3,500 posts will be removed from FDA, 2,400 from CDC and 1,200 from NIH. Combined with recent voluntary departure, these cuts will reduce health and human service (HHS) workforce for 82,000 to 62,000 employees.
“Over time, bureaucracy like HHS becomes useless and disable when most of his employees are dedicated and capable civil servants,” Kennedy said, “said Kennedy. “This will be a win-win for overhaul taxpayers and for those who serve HHS. It is the entire American public, because our goal is to make America healthy again.”
The step aligns with the widespread initiative of President Donald Trump to reduce the federal bureaucracy, an attempt that is supported by billionaire Elon Musk, which leads the government’s efficiency department. Trump recently directed all federal agencies to prepare additional job cuts, now reviewed the proposed schemes with the White House.
While large agencies like HHS have restructured both Republican and Democratic Administration, this overhaul is unprecedented in its scale. Larry Levitt, a health policy expert at KFF, said, “This is not only a reorganization of HHS. It is also a slashing of the federal workforce, which will eventually affect government services.”
Despite the job loss, HHS stated that FDA inspectors and drug critics would not be affected. However, experts have warned that cuts may delay drug approval and medical equipment reviews. Reorganization will also consolidate many health related offices in a new unit, a healthy America to focus on administration, drug addiction, environmental health and primary care.
