Widespread job cuts begin at health agencies
NBCMAR 19
Mass Layoffs Hit US Health Agencies in Major Restructuring
Above: People protest outside the CDC's main facility in Atlanta, Georgia, on April 1, 2025. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired off hundreds of staff across numerous departments today as part of a March restructure. Image copyright: Elijah Nouvelage/Stringer/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Spin
Republican narrative
The reorganization streamlines a bloated bureaucracy and realigns the department with its core mission of reversing chronic disease. The changes will enable HHS to do more with less while saving taxpayers money and improving efficiency in federal health programs.
Democratic narrative
These reckless, unprecedented cuts devastate critical public health infrastructure and eliminate essential expertise in disease prevention, drug safety, and emergency response. Careless reductions will lead to a loss of institutional knowledge and experienced leadership will put Americans at greater risk during health emergencies.