On Thursday, March 27, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced plans to cut 10,000 full-time jobs across various health agencies. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is set to reveal these changes, which include closing regional offices and reducing staff within departments that handle disease outbreaks, drug approvals, and health insurance for low-income Americans, according to reports from The Wall Street Journal.
Kennedy, who oversees agencies like the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is making these cuts as part of an effort to streamline the department. This move follows nearly 10,000 voluntary departures from the department, and if fully carried out, it would reduce the department to about 62,000 federal health workers.
This restructuring effort comes amid a broader push by tech billionaire Elon Musk, who is leading the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk has been focused on shrinking the size of the federal bureaucracy, which has led to job cuts in various government agencies, including the health sector.
