Washington: Thousands of employees fired this week from the Department of Health and Human Services and the public health agencies it oversees may be asked to temporarily continue working for two months and others could be reinstated, officials said on Thursday.
“There were some programs that were cut that are being reinstated,” Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told ABC News, referring in particular to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention program that monitors lead levels in children’s blood. “Personnel that should not have been cut were cut — we’re reinstating them, and that was always the plan.”
The department on Tuesday began mass layoffs at high profile health agencies like the FDA, CDC and National Institutes of Health, aiming to fire 10,000 staffers as part of a broader plan by President Donald Trump and billionaire ally Elon Musk to shrink the federal government and slash spending.
Employees said they were given “reduction in force” notices that said they were being placed on administrative leave effective April 1 and until June 2. Some at the Food and Drug Administration were told to keep their work computers.
Health agency sources said the layoffs had already begun to affect everything from bird flu response to drug oversight.
“All employees affected by the reduction in force may be asked to temporarily work until their government service ends on June 2,” said HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon.
“This decision is focused on ensuring that the transition is as seamless as possible, minimizing any disruption to the agency’s mission and operations. HHS fully supports this approach, which aims to maintain public health services while managing the reorganization process effectively.”
Officials at the FDA are being asked to identify specific employees who can keep working during this time, the Washington Post reported citing an email it obtained.
Kennedy announced last week a plan to reshape health agencies, including firing 3,500 people at the FDA, 2,400 at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1,200 at the NIH, and 300 at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
The cuts, and about another 10,000 recent voluntary departures, will reduce the number of full-time HHS employees to 62,000 from 82,000, Kennedy said. (Reporting by Ahmed Aboulenein, additional reporting by Michael Erman in New York, editing by Deepa Babington)
