US Health Agencies Start Terminations

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently announced 10,000 workers would be fired.

A federal worker (R), who lost her job gets help carrying some of her belongings from her office at the Mary E. Switzer Memorial Building that houses the US Department of Health and Human Services, in Washington on April 1, 2025. Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images

WASHINGTON—Federal health agencies have started terminations recently announced by Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., employees said on April 1.

One person who has worked for the federal government for decades said she and co-workers regularly worked more than 10 hours a day and were surprised on the morning of April 1 to find they were unable to enter their workplace.

“That’s what hurts about all of this—that with all of that dedication, this is what we get in return,” she told the Epoch Times.

She said that she may seek employment at the county level or take up volunteer work.

Another laid-off HHS employee, a young man, said that he was not sure whether there would be any opportunities in Washington as he looks for his next job.

He said the layoffs were handled badly, with some workers initially unable to retrieve their personal belongings, and that the termination email he received contained what he described as inaccurate information about his job performance.

“This was an uneducated, unscientific process, where I think they were just trying to reach a number,” he said.

The workers spoke on condition of anonymity because they are still negotiating severance packages.

Other fired employees were seen on April 1 taking their belongings from or being prevented from entering the HHS building in Washington.

“It is unacceptable RFK Jr. is blocking federal workers from entering HHS. Employees are standing outside the building being told they no longer have jobs,” Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.) said on social media platform X. “These federal employees have dutifully served our nation and are owed more from the Trump Administration.”

HHS did not respond to requests for comment by publication time.

The department previously fired about 3,200 newer workers, but has been reinstating them under orders from a federal judge.

Kennedy announced on March 27 that the agency would fire about 10,000 workers, on top of those who have already retired early or accepted buyout offers.

“We are going to streamline HHS to make our agency more efficient and more effective,” Kennedy said in a video.

Kennedy said that the process, which will take the agency down to 62,000 employees, will be “a painful period” and that it will result in an agency better positioned to serve the public and carry out his “Make America Healthy Again” vision.

Kennedy on April 1 said it was a “difficult moment” for everyone in the department.

“Our hearts go out to those who have lost their jobs,” the secretary wrote in a post on X.

He reiterated that it was necessary to overhaul the agencies to “emphasize prevention, not just sick care,” adding that the changes won’t affect Medicare, Medicaid, and other essential health services.

HHS includes the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Former FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf wrote on LinkedIn that with the recent changes, “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.”

“I believe that history will see this [as] a huge mistake,” he wrote. “I will be glad if I’m proven wrong, but even then there is no good reason to treat people this way.”

The FDA did not return an inquiry by publication time.

CDC and NIH spokespeople referred requests for information to HHS.

The health agency previously said that of the 10,000 terminations, 35 percent would come from the FDA, 24 percent would come from the CDC, 12 percent would come from the NIH, and 3 percent would come from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Dr. Peter Marks, a top FDA vaccine official, resigned before the terminations began.

The firings commenced as new NIH Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya and new FDA Director Dr. Martin Makary took office.

Bhattacharya said in a statement that he will “build on the agency’s long and illustrious history of supporting breakthroughs in biology and medicine by fostering gold-standard research and innovation to address the chronic disease crisis.”

Makary said on X: “We have a tremendous opportunity at this unique moment in time to greatly improve public health outcomes for Americans, and to tackle the most critical health issues impacting people.

“This includes the chronic disease epidemic that has reached a boiling point and threatens our quality, quantity, and way of life.”

Three members of Congress, Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro (D-Conn.), and Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), said in a March 31 letter to Kennedy that they were worried about the sweeping changes at HHS.

The terminations and reorganization “will degrade the Department’s capacity and expertise across a wide range of issues that will impact communities and individuals across the country,” they wrote, adding that they believe eliminating some divisions by folding them into others is illegal.