Mass Layoffs Hit U.S. Public Health Agencies Amid HHS Restructuring
The U.S. Health and Human Services Department has initiated mass layoffs affecting 20,000 positions as part of a restructuring plan aimed at saving $1.8 billion annually, impacting key public health agencies.
Published on April 2, 2025
In early April 2025, the U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Department began a sweeping restructuring that resulted in the layoff of 20,000 public health workers. The effort, designed to save $1.8 billion annually and reduce the size of HHS by nearly a quarter, has led to cutbacks across major divisions such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. defended the layoffs as a recalibration to focus on disease prevention. However, critics—including union leaders and political figures—warn that the reductions, compounded by diminishing COVID-19 funding and other administrative changes, could undermine the nation’s capacity to respond to public health emergencies. Reports from early April indicate that even as the restructuring unfolds, concerns remain over the loss of key expertise in public health and research.