Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Chief Medical Executive Dr. Joneigh Khaldun (center) is given a tour by Ingham County Health Department Health Officer Linda Vail during vaccinations at the Michigan State University Pavilion for Agriculture and Livestock Education building in East Lansing on Thursday, February 4, 2021 being used as a drive-up COVID-19 vaccination distribution site.
Washington D.C. – The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced Thursday that it is cutting 10,000 full-time employees across multiple health agencies, further reducing an already shrinking workforce. This move follows the voluntary departure of another 10,000 employees, bringing the total workforce from approximately 82,000 to 62,000. The agency says the cuts are part of a broader effort to streamline operations and save taxpayers $1.8 billion annually.
The restructuring will consolidate HHS divisions from 28 to 15, including the creation of a new Administration for a Healthy America. Regional offices will also be reduced from 10 to five. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. framed the cuts as necessary to refocus the agency’s priorities.
“We aren’t just reducing bureaucratic sprawl,” Kennedy said in a statement. “We are realigning the organization with its core mission and our new priorities in reversing the chronic disease epidemic.” He added that the agency’s focus will now be on tackling chronic illness by ensuring access to “safe, wholesome food, clean water, and the elimination of environmental toxins.”
Despite the massive downsizing, HHS assured that critical health services—including Medicare and Medicaid—will remain intact.
Among those losing their jobs:
- 3,500 employees at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), though drug, medical device, and food safety regulators will not be impacted.
- 2,400 employees at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
- 1,200 employees at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), primarily in administrative roles.
- 300 employees at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
The new Administration for a Healthy America will absorb multiple existing agencies, including the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, the Health Resources and Services Administration, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. It will oversee initiatives related to primary care, maternal and child health, mental health, environmental health, HIV/AIDS, and workforce development.
Additionally, a new assistant secretary for enforcement will oversee agencies such as the Office for Civil Rights and the Office of Medicare Hearings and Appeals.
HHS is also consolidating its research and strategy divisions, creating a new Office of Strategy that will merge the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Meanwhile, the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, responsible for handling public health emergencies, will now operate under the CDC, moving 1,000 employees in the process.
The Administration for Community Living, which supports older adults and individuals with disabilities, will be integrated into other HHS agencies.
Union leaders were formally notified of the reduction in force (RIF) early Thursday, with individual layoff notices potentially going out as soon as Friday. The cuts primarily target administrative roles in human resources, information technology, procurement, and finance, particularly in high-cost regions and areas deemed redundant.
As the federal government pushes forward with these new changes, the public will learn the long-term impact of the loss of services in real time.
