Massive layoffs are underway in some of the federal health organizations in the US. These organizations include the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the National Institutes of Health (FDA). Thousands of their workers are being laid off.
This round of federal layoffs is part of the Trump administration’s significant changes. These groups help keep our food safe, stop spreading sickness, and care for everyone’s health. With fewer individuals working there, others worry about the country’s ability to do these jobs.
The layoffs are projected to cost about 10,000 jobs at the Health and Human Services department, about a 25% reduction in the number of employees there. This mass action follows President Donald Trump‘s move to take away federal workers’ collective bargaining rights.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. outlined the government plan to consolidate various agencies into one new agency, the Administration for a Healthy America. The restructuring resulted in the removal of numerous frontline food inspectors and investigators from the Food and Drug Administration, prompting fears that food recalls will be slower and food safety regulations may not be implemented as stringently as they once were.
A potential staff reduction threatens the National Institutes of Health, whose vital medical research programs, especially those monitoring diseases like measles, could be damaged by such a reduction.
Leadership disruptions have amplified the problem in our present crisis. The official responsible for tobacco regulation at the FDA was removed from his job. Then, the person running the FDA’s food safety unit quit because he felt that the organization could not get its work done. This step-down happened as Dr. Jay Bhattacharya became the new NIH director.
We proudly welcome Dr. Marty Makary as @US_FDA Commissioner and Dr. Jay Bhattacharya as @NIH Director. Their impeccable credentials and dedication to gold-standard science make them uniquely qualified to lead these agencies and ensure its priorities are aligned with this… pic.twitter.com/lboJ2d8juA
— HHS.gov (@HHSGov) April 1, 2025
Experts like Darin Detwiler are worried that these changes will make dealing with health emergencies harder and figuring out what’s causing diseases.
Detwiler said, “This rollback of public health protections is unprecedented.”
But it’s not only about the workers quitting. If fewer workers inspect our food, it will take longer for us to know when something is wrong, so there are more opportunities for our food to be contaminated. And at the CDC, with fewer workers on the disease response teams, it will be harder to stem the spread of things like measles.
And it’s not just those areas affected. Programs for maternal and infant health are facing challenges, too. Also, projects that use artificial intelligence to develop new medicines are being hit by these staff cuts.
Democratic Senator Patty Murray has also weighed in on the proposed restructuring plan, stating that it could damage public health during natural disasters or disease outbreaks. She even implied that the targeted department might as well be renamed the “Department of Disease” because of the risks involved.
During the worst measles outbreak in DECADES, we ABSOLUTELY must invest funding, time, & energy toward understanding why some Americans are hesitant to get the vaccines they need.
We want people to get vaccinated so they don’t die. It makes NO sense to eliminate this research. pic.twitter.com/YCURYDNHiF
— Senator Patty Murray (@PattyMurray) March 11, 2025
These are not just a few layoffs in this effort to save money and make the government more efficient. Some employees in key areas, like nuclear threats, have been assured that their jobs will be safe. But others are threatened with losing their jobs without assurance, despite working in areas essential to our health.
The strategy includes putting together a big package of funds for services for individuals with addictions under a new direction. However, there are concerns that some essential activities, such as food safety and disease surveillance, may be compromised.
As more people learn about these advancements and start to panic, there is considerable discussion regarding the long-term effects of the mechanisms in place to protect the overall health of all who reside within the US.
