FDA Recent Hires Fired In Federal Workforce Reduction

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration campus in Silver Spring, Md., is photographed on Oct. 14, 2015. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

The Trump administration's efforts to reduce the federal workforce have now reached the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Over the weekend, probationary employees responsible for reviewing the safety of food ingredients, medical devices, and other products were terminated. The exact number of positions eliminated is unclear, but the focus seemed to be on employees in the FDA's centers for food, medical devices, and tobacco products.

There were expectations that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) would dismiss 5,200 probationary employees across its agencies, including the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). While the CDC layoffs were expected to affect nearly 1,300 employees, only about 700 had received notices by Sunday afternoon.