Reports Suggest Potential Cuts to Thousands of Federal Health Employees
The White House is reportedly drafting an executive order that could lead to the dismissal of thousands of employees across U.S. health agencies, according to sources cited by the Wall Street Journal on Thursday.
However, White House officials have denied any active plans to implement such an order.
Potential Impact on Key Health Agencies
According to the Wall Street Journal, the executive order—potentially set for release as early as next week—would require federal health agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to cut a specific percentage of their workforce.
As part of the preparation, officials have reportedly been instructed to identify probationary employees who are essential and must be retained, as well as those who could be subject to termination.
Context and Government Restructuring Efforts
This report follows recent efforts by the administration to reduce the size of the federal workforce. Last week, the Trump administration provided approximately 2 million civilian full-time federal employees the option to stop working while still receiving pay and benefits through September 30, as part of broader government downsizing initiatives.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which employs over 83,000 people, oversees critical public health operations, including tracking disease outbreaks such as the current bird flu. Any significant reductions in staff could impact ongoing efforts to monitor and manage public health risks.
While no official confirmation has been provided regarding workforce reductions, the potential changes could have far-reaching effects on federal health agencies and their ability to respond to emerging health crises.
