The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has unveiled a significant restructuring plan, aiming to reduce its workforce by 10,000 positions and consolidate various agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and National Institutes of Health (NIH). This initiative will decrease HHS staff from 82,000 to 62,000 employees, with specific reductions of 3,500 positions at the FDA, 2,400 at the CDC, and 1,200 at the NIH.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. emphasized that these changes are essential to address inefficiencies within the department, stating, "This will be a painful period." This overhaul aligns with President Donald Trump's broader objective of streamlining federal operations, a mission supported by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency. The President has instructed all agencies to prepare for further reductions, which are currently under evaluation by the White House.
Despite assurances from HHS that core functions such as FDA inspections and drug reviews will remain intact, health policy experts have expressed concerns that these workforce reductions could lead to delays in drug approvals and compromise public health services. Larry Levitt from KFF highlighted that the plan effectively represents a significant downsizing of the federal health workforce, potentially impacting the government's operational capacity.
As part of the restructuring, several offices will be merged into a new entity named the Administration for a Healthy America. This organization will focus on issues including addiction, environmental health, and primary care. While previous administrations have implemented similar reorganizations, the scale of these cuts is unprecedented.