Massive Staffing Reductions at U.S. Federal Health Agencies Following Supreme Court Ruling

This week, thousands of employees at key U.S. health agencies, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), faced layoffs following a Supreme Court decision that cleared the way for significant staffing cuts approved by the Trump administration.

On Monday, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) finalized the termination of around 10,000 jobs across these agencies, as reported by The New York Times. This move was part of a broader plan announced earlier in March by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., which called for an overhaul of the department including substantial staff reductions.

The layoffs impacted employees in various roles, such as logistical support, communications, medical research contracts, and administrative functions. Many workers received their notices on April 1, often discovering their termination when access badges deactivated, while others remained officially employed until the courts permitted the layoffs at the end of the day on Monday.

Critics argue that these cuts are detrimental to the agencies' effectiveness, likening them to having doctors without support staff. Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of Brown University’s School of Public Health and former COVID-19 response coordinator under President Biden, expressed concern that the aftermath of the layoffs might lead to additional resignations, further destabilizing the agencies.

The administration described many of these positions as redundant, but experts contend that the reductions could undermine public health efforts. The total planned job cuts for 2025 are approximately 20,000, including early retirements and buyouts, alongside the ongoing restructuring that reduces the department's divisions from 28 to 15.

Legal challenges to the layoffs are still underway. A federal lawsuit filed in Rhode Island by 19 states and Washington, D.C., claims that the personnel reductions negatively affect essential health services, such as quit-smoking hotlines and STD testing services. A judge has questioned the legality of the changes, though the lawsuit is ongoing. HHS maintains that workers involved in the lawsuit were not affected by the latest layoffs.

Some of the affected workers were involved in handling public records or supporting medical research contracts, raising concerns over transparency and ongoing research efforts. Despite being placed on leave earlier this year, some employees continued to work during the transition, highlighting the challenges faced by agencies lacking essential staff.

Within the FDA, some personnel who coordinated international inspections were laid off but have been rehired to stabilize services. Acting Secretary Kennedy noted that hundreds of laid-off workers have been reinstated, including experts in food safety, drug approval, and environmental health.

Overall, these staffing reductions represent one of the most significant reorganizations in recent federal health agency history, raising questions about their long-term impact on public health and government operations.

Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-07-thousands-laid-nih-fda-cdc.html