Thousands More Laid Off at FDA, CDC in HHS Restructuring

Washington, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced it will cut about 10,000 full-time employees in a restructuring plan ordered by the Trump administration on March 27.

As part of the restructuring, the FDA will decrease its workforce by approximately 3,500 full-time employees, with a focus on streamlining operations and centralizing administrative functions, said HHS. This reduction will not affect drug, medical device or food reviewers, nor will it impact inspectors, according to the agency.

These cuts follow last month’s layoffs of 89 staffers in the FDA’s food division, prompting the resignation of Jim Jones, who served as the agency’s deputy commissioner for human foods.

The CDC will decrease its workforce by approximately 2,400 employees, with a focus on returning to its core mission of preparing for and responding to epidemics and outbreaks, said HHS.

Last month, nearly 700 probationary employees were laid off at the CDC, according to the Associated Press.

HHS announced the restructuring in accordance with President Donald Trump's executive order, “Implementing the President’s ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ Workforce Optimization Initiative.”

When combined with HHS’ other efforts, including early retirement offers and Fork in the Road deferred resignation offers, the restructuring results in a total downsizing from 82,000 to 62,000 full-time employees.

According to a statement released by HHS, the reduction in workforce will save taxpayers $1.8 billion per year.

The restructuring plan will consolidate the 28 divisions of HHS into 15 new divisions, including a new Administration for a Healthy America (AHA), which will combine multiple agencies — the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) — into one entity.

The Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), responsible for national disaster and public health emergency response, will transfer to the CDC.

The restructuring will also centralize core functions such as human resources, information technology, procurement, external affairs and policy, said HHS. Regional offices will be reduced from 10 to five.

According to HHS, the overhaul will implement the agency’s new priority “of ending America’s epidemic of chronic illness by focusing on safe, wholesome food, clean water and the elimination of environmental toxins.”

“We aren't just reducing bureaucratic sprawl,” said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “We are realigning the organization with its core mission and our new priorities in reversing the chronic disease epidemic. This department will do more — a lot more — at a lower cost to the taxpayer. Over time, bureaucracies like HHS become wasteful and inefficient even when most of their staff are dedicated and competent civil servants. This overhaul will be a win-win for taxpayers and for those that HHS serves. That’s the entire American public, because our goal is to make America healthy again.”

Earlier this month, Kennedy received a letter from the FDA Foods Coalition, made up of consumer advocates, food industry representatives, public health groups and state and local regulators, urging him not to cut additional resources for the FDA’s Human Foods Program.

“Maintaining safe, accessible and affordable food is a fundamental public health priority and a key component of your Make America Healthy Again platform,” read the letter. “An under-resourced food safety agency could jeopardize your stated objectives to improve nutrition and ingredient safety for children and adults. Adequate resources are critical not only for foodborne illness outbreak response but also for developing and updating food safety standards, providing science-based industry guidance and ensuring a well-trained federal-state inspection force to protect the integrity of our food system.”

Brian Ronholm, director of food policy at Consumer Reports, said the most recent layoffs pose a danger to public health.

“These staff cuts endanger public health and food safety, and they raise serious concerns that the administration’s pledge to make Americans healthy again could become nothing more than an empty promise,” said Ronholm. “Despite recent encouraging statements about addressing infant formula safety and harmful food chemicals, mass layoffs will undermine these initiatives and hinder the FDA’s ability to ensure our food is safe to eat.”