Ongoing firings at the Department of Health and Human Services and its subagencies will likely impact a sweeping number of agency functions ranging from pandemic preparedness to food and drug inspections, experts say.
Just days after Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was sworn in as secretary of Health and Human Services, the department began firing a host of employees. The layoffs, which occurred throughout the agencies, started on Friday, and some estimates put the number in the thousands.
HHS confirmed on Friday that cuts were occurring but declined to provide details on which positions would be affected or how it was determined which positions would be cut.