Kennedy to cut 10,000 health jobs in major federal overhaul
US Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F Kennedy Jr has announced sweeping changes to federal public health agencies, including eliminating 10,000 jobs and consolidating multiple departments, Reuters reported.
The restructuring will affect agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Among the job cuts, 3,500 positions will be removed from the FDA, 2,400 from the CDC, and 1,200 from the NIH. Combined with recent voluntary departures, these reductions will shrink the Health and Human Services (HHS) workforce from 82,000 to 62,000 employees.
“Over time, bureaucracies like HHS become wasteful and inefficient even when most of their staff are dedicated and competent civil servants,” Kennedy stated. “This overhaul will be a win-win for taxpayers and for those that HHS serves. That’s the entire American public, because our goal is to Make America Healthy Again.”
The move aligns with President Donald Trump’s broader initiative to reduce federal bureaucracy, an effort also supported by billionaire Elon Musk, who leads the Department of Government Efficiency. Trump recently directed all federal agencies to prepare for additional job cuts, with the White House now reviewing the proposed plans.
While large agencies like HHS have undergone reorganization under both Republican and Democratic administrations, this overhaul is unprecedented in its scale. “This is not just a reorganization of HHS. It is also a slashing of the federal workforce, which will ultimately affect government services,” said Larry Levitt, a health policy expert at KFF.
Despite the job losses, HHS stated that FDA inspectors and drug reviewers will not be affected. However, experts warn the cuts could cause delays in drug approvals and medical device reviews. The reorganization will also consolidate several health-related offices into a new entity, the Administration for a Healthy America, focusing on addiction, environmental health, and primary care.
