Mass layoffs in US healthcare sector

According to multiple sources familiar with the situation, security prevented some employees from entering the building a few hours after they received notice of their dismissal.

The layoffs affected several well-known agencies within the US Department of Health and Human Services, including the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. described the layoffs, which, along with other recent dismissals, would reduce the total staff from 82,000 to 62,000, as necessary to streamline the bloated bureaucracy.

At the same time, these cuts also involve the dismissal of leading scientists overseeing public health, cancer research, and vaccine and drug approval. This raises concerns about how the US will respond to ongoing emergencies - such as the measles outbreak and the spread of bird flu.

One source confirmed that among those leaving the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Center for Drug Evaluation and Research was Peter Stein, the director of the New Drug Evaluation division. He resigned on Tuesday when he was threatened with dismissal.

Also fired was Brian King, the head of the Tobacco Products Division at the FDA. This was revealed in an email sent by King to department staff, which was obtained by Reuters. This followed the dismissal of Peter Marks, a senior FDA official involved in vaccine issues.

Employees were also leaving, and some staff checking products were trying to meet deadlines.

"The FDA as we've known it is finished, with most of the leaders with institutional knowledge and a deep understanding of product development and safety no longer employed," former Commissioner Robert Califf wrote in a LinkedIn post. "I believe that history will see this a huge mistake," he wrote. "It will be interesting to hear from the new leadership how they plan to put 'Humpty Dumpty' back together again."

Long lines and 'surprises' at entrances

At the center of Washington, security guards informed employees of their dismissals as they tried to enter the Mary Switzer building, which houses several offices and departments of the US Department of Health and Human Services, according to one employee present at the scene.

"Dozens of people have been RIF'd this way so far," the employee said, using an acronym for "reduction in force." They included a deaf person for whom the security guard had to type on a phone the message that she had been fired.

"So now it's fallen on the security guards to tell people they've lost their jobs," said the employee.

An FDA employee mentioned that workers had to show their badges at the building's entrance, and those who were dismissed were given a ticket and told to go home. People waited for hours in line, not knowing what would happen when they reached the entrance.

The ticket, seen by Reuters, listed phone numbers for 10 different departments employees could call to obtain their "necessary" equipment.

An FDA employee reported that 17 members of the press office had been laid off, including FDA’s chief information officer, Vid Desai.

The dismissed employees received emails stating that the layoffs would not affect their work, productivity, or behavior and that they were being placed on administrative leave. One source reported that this leave reflected a union requirement for 60 days' notice.

The cuts in the FDA’s Tobacco Products Division affected both the Management Office and the Regulatory Affairs Office in full.

"I think that this makes it virtually impossible for CTP to regulate tobacco products," Zeller said.

According to one source, a queue of cars blocked two main roads leading to the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland, where employees were notified of their dismissal early Tuesday morning.

Jeanne Marrazzo, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who replaced Anthony Fauci in this role, was dismissed and offered a job at the Indian Health Service. This was confirmed by a source from NIH.

The cuts took place on the first day of FDA Commissioner Marty Makary’s and NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya’s tenure, who were confirmed by the US Senate last week.

Dismissed employees from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) worked at the National Center for Environmental Health, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. Specifically, at least one person worked on federal efforts to respond to the measles outbreak.

Kevin Griffis, who resigned as CDC communications director on March 21, stated that the Department of Health impacts the lives of nearly every American and that a reorganization and reduction of staff on such a scale typically requires months of work.

A health department official reported that employees working directly for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) were also dismissed. An HHS spokesperson said the department had no new information other than what was announced last week.

According to two Reuters sources, a line of cars blocked two main roads leading to the HHS building in Rockville, Maryland. Only two security guards were present to check everyone trying to enter.

US federal worker layoffs

In January, the Trump administration established the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by billionaire Elon Musk. The department was tasked with carrying out a large-scale reduction of federal employees across several government agencies in order to reduce budgetary spending.

As part of this campaign, plans were made to cut civilian personnel at the Pentagon.

Additionally, a large portion of employees at the US Institute of Peace was laid off, and the position of president of the organization was taken by an agent of Elon Musk’s DOGE.

Meanwhile, in mid-March, a district court in California ordered six US agencies to reinstate thousands of recently hired employees who had been laid off under the federal workforce reduction program.

The Trump administration appealed this decision to the US Supreme Court.

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