BREAKING: U.S Health Department Cuts 10,000 Jobs Amid Restructuring

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Thursday announced that it will lay off 10,000 employees as part of a reorganisation aimed at streamlining its operations and refocusing priorities.

The move, which begins in May, follows a separate voluntary departure of 10,000 workers from the department, reducing the department’s workforce by nearly 25 per cent.

The restructuring, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, includes consolidating 28 divisions into 15 and reducing regional offices from 10 to five.

According to CNN, individual notices to affected employees may begin as early as Friday.

A key component of the overhaul is the creation of the Administration for a Healthy America (AHA), a new agency designed to centralize public health efforts. According to HHS, the cuts will save $1.8bn annually.

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. framed the changes as necessary to align the agency with its new mission of combating chronic illness by prioritising clean food, water, and environmental health.

“We aren’t just reducing bureaucratic sprawl,” Kennedy said in a statement. “We are realigning the organisation with its core mission and our new priorities in reversing the chronic disease epidemic.”

The layoffs will primarily impact administrative positions, including human resources, IT, procurement, and finance.

The cuts will affect 3,500 jobs at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), though drug, medical device, and food safety roles will remain intact. It would also affect 2,400 positions at the Centres for Disease Control (CDC) as the agency undergoes structural changes.

Additionally, the cuts will affect 1,200 jobs at the National Institute of Health (NIH), with functions like procurement and communications being centralised, while 300 employees at the Centres for Medicare and Medicaid Services will also lose their jobs.