RFK Jr. To Cut 10,000 Jobs, Shut Regional Agencies In Major Health Department Overhaul: Report

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is planning a major overhaul of his department, which includes the elimination of 10,000 jobs and shutting down regional offices.

What Happened: RFK Jr. is ready to announce substantial changes to the Health and Human Services Department. The restructuring involves the removal of 10,000 full-time roles across different departments.

The departments impacted are those that handle disease outbreaks, approve new drugs, and offer insurance for the nation’s poorest citizens. The proposed job cuts are in addition to the approximately 10,000 employees who have already left the department since President Donald Trump took office, as per the documents seen by The Wall Street Journal.

The announcement of these changes is anticipated to be made on Thursday. This step is viewed as a significant reshaping of the nation’s health agencies, with the closure of regional offices also included in the restructuring plan.

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Why It Matters: On March 21, CBS News had already disclosed that the impending layoffs were a cause of concern for officials across the Department of Health and Human Services.

At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), some managers have been informed to anticipate department-mandated cuts leading to the layoff of up to 30% of the Atlanta-based agency’s workforce. A CDC official told CBS News, “A 30% cut would be devastating. We are already understaffed in a number of key areas and the staff that are just barely holding it together have been in various stages of burnout for five years.”

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been under severe criticism for its mass layoff of federal workers. This restructuring of the healthcare officials comes in the wake of a proposal to cut 83,000 jobs at the Department of Veterans Affairs, which has been heavily criticized by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). Sanders warned that such a move would adversely affect veterans who depend on government-provided healthcare and benefits.

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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.