Mass layoffs reportedly began Tuesday in Health and Human Services agencies as part of the department's "restructuring" to align with President Donald Trump's executive order, "Implementing the President’s ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ Workforce Optimization Initiative," as agencies undergo merges and significant downsizing.
The restructuring is expected to bring down 82,000 federal health employees to 62,000.
The department has been preparing to make major cuts in recent weeks across its health agencies, especially pertaining to administrative costs and DEI-related spending.
According to the HHS, the layoffs "will save taxpayers $1.8 billion per year" and "streamline" functions of the department while ensuring that essential services like Medicare and Medicaid continue without disruption. The announcement of the layoffs came last week.
