FDA rehires staff to its medical devices division after mass layoffs
Around 180 FDA medical device workers were laid off earlier this month by DOGE.
The Trump administration is reinstating some employees in the Food and Drug Administration's medical devices division after dozens were laid off as part of a government-wide cost-cutting initiative led by billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency, according to two people familiar with the matter.
Around 180 employees from the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health, including physicians and cybersecurity experts, were let go on Feb. 15, two workers said they were told by their supervisors.
“These people are indispensable,” one said. "Many of these roles require so much training and specialization and are so important for keeping people alive."
The medical devices division is responsible for approving and monitoring the safety of a range of products, from X-ray machines to surgical implants.
Many of the employees who were initially let go were so-called probationary hires, meaning that they had been in their roles for less than two years, the two people said. Some supervisors found out about the terminations at the same time as their employees, one added.
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