US health department to cut 10,000 full-time employees

WASHINGTON -- The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced Thursday that it plans to cut about 10,000 full-time employees as part of its "restructuring" effort.

"It will save taxpayers 1.8 billion dollars per year through a reduction in workforce of about 10,000 full-time employees who are part of this most recent transformation," the department said in a statement.

"When combined with HHS' other efforts, including early retirement and Fork in the Road, the restructuring results in a total downsizing from 82,000 to 62,000 full-time employees," the statement added.

Fork in the Road refers to the buyout offer proposed by the administration of US President Donald Trump, which gives roughly eight months of salary to federal workers who opt to leave their jobs.

According to the statement, the HHS will streamline the functions of the department, restructuring its divisions from the current 28 to 15. Regional offices will be reduced from 10 to five.

"Over time, bureaucracies like HHS become wasteful and inefficient even when most of their staff are dedicated and competent civil servants," HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said. "This overhaul will be a win-win for taxpayers and for those that HHS serves."

The HHS is the latest target of job cuts by the Department of Government Efficiency, an initiative established on Jan 20, 2025 with a declared mission to reduce spending and raise efficiency across various government departments.

Significant budget cuts to divisions of the HHS, such as the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institutes of Health, among others, have raised serious concerns about public health and scientific research.

The Trump administration's massive actions to slash federal employees have sparked several lawsuits. These legal challenges question the administration's authority and procedures regarding the layoffs.