Experts across various fields, from mine safety to smoking prevention and infertility, are facing layoffs after a controversial plan by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., to cut nearly 25% of the 82,000-person workforce. The announcement has caused widespread uncertainty, with many staff members, lawmakers, and the public left without clear information about the full extent of the cuts.
On Tuesday, as the scale of the layoffs became more apparent, employees began receiving layoff notices. At the Parklawn building in Maryland, staff members were seen waiting in line to check if their badges still worked, with many carrying boxes of personal items. The layoffs are not limited to Washington D.C.; their effects are being felt across the country.
In Morgantown, West Virginia, the cuts hit a critical program at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) that protects coal miners from pneumoconiosis, or “black lung.” This disease has been on the rise among young miners in Appalachia, and the loss of this program is raising concerns about worker safety. Erin Bates, spokesperson for the United Mine Workers International, expressed worry that these cuts will negatively impact the very workers the agency is meant to protect.
At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the layoffs affected an entire branch dedicated to infertility, a cause recently championed by former President Donald Trump. Barbara Collura, president of Resolve: The National Infertility Association, warned that the elimination of this expertise would hinder public policy efforts, congressional briefings, and public awareness campaigns about infertility.
The CDC also faced cuts to its Division of Environmental Health Science and Practice (DEHSP), which handles issues related to environmental hazards, climate change, and public health tracking. The loss of this division will have a significant impact on the nation’s ability to address environmental health concerns.
At the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the division responsible for tobacco policy was eliminated, despite the fact that tobacco companies themselves funded it. Yolonda C. Richardson, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, criticized the cuts, noting that smoking is responsible for 30% of all cancer deaths in the U.S., and that these cuts undermine efforts to reduce tobacco use and protect children’s health.
Other agencies, like the Administration for Community Living (ACL), also faced significant cuts, dismantling teams focused on serving disabled and elderly Americans. The Autism Society of America has opposed these cuts, fearing that they will harm bipartisan support for disabled citizens.
Former CDC director Dr. Tom Frieden expressed concern that the cuts would not simply “trim the fat” but would instead weaken the nation’s ability to prevent deaths from tobacco-related diseases and respond to global health crises.
The FDA’s communications teams were also impacted, with the entire media affairs division and a large portion of the communications staff at the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research being cut. This team was responsible for managing drug approval databases and informing the public about potential risks of FDA-approved drugs.
Kennedy’s announcement of 10,000 job cuts at HHS is part of a larger plan that could reduce the department’s workforce by 20,000 people. This follows losses made by Elon Musk’s unofficial “department of government efficiency,” and the cuts are expected to impact the country’s ability to address critical public health and safety issues.
In response, nearly 2,000 members of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine issued a letter warning Americans about the administration’s attack on science and its potential consequences for public health.
Former leaders of HHS, including former FDA commissioner Dr. Robert Califf, have expressed shock at the scale of the cuts. Califf called the layoffs a “dark day for public health,” noting that the loss of experienced leaders with deep knowledge of product development and safety could have long-lasting effects on the nation’s health and safety programs.
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