Kennedy's 'MAHA' quest begins: 10,000 jobs expected to be cut at health agencies

Mass layoffs are expected to begin at HHS, hitting workers at agencies including the CDC, FDA and NIH. The firings come under health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Thousands of federal workers were bracing for pink slips Friday as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. begins dismantling the sprawling federal agency responsible for protecting America's health.

Some 10,000 full-time jobs were on the chopping block as part of the White House’s “reduction in force” plan to effectively shutter or downsize a number of divisions under the HHS umbrella, including virtually eliminating some offices tasked with tackling HIV and improving minority health.

HHS oversees 13 agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health. Overall, the cuts will shrink the health department’s workforce from 82,000 to 62,000 when combined with its earlier layoffs, Andrew Nixon, a senior spokesperson for HHS, said Thursday.

Federal health workers, who spoke to NBC News on the condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak to the media, said it’s likely to get ugly.

“No matter what happens, this is going to be a bad day,” one CDC official said. “It feels like we’re participating in the ‘Hunger Games’ reaping.”

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/hhs-kennedy-health-agencies-mass-layoffs-rcna198549

---