Chaos and confusion have characterized the restructuring at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) this week, as reported by NPR. The changes have affected thousands of employees, leaving some temporarily rehired and others unclear about their employment status. Managers face uncertainty over their teams, while the depletion of human resources staff has resulted in a lack of clarity for those receiving complex reduction in force messages.
The terminations commenced in the early hours of April 1, with many employees discovering their dismissal upon being denied access to their offices due to inactive security badges. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. addressed the situation, acknowledging that approximately 20% of the cuts were errors, stating, “We’re reinstating them. And that was always the plan.” Among those errors was the deletion of a CDC division that assists public health departments with lead contamination issues, notably affecting a Milwaukee school system’s upcoming testing effort.
Despite Kennedy’s assurance that essential programs are being reinstated, communication breakdowns persisted. The federal agency announced that approximately 10,000 positions, particularly redundant administrative roles, were targeted in line with HHS’s mission to tackle chronic diseases and to realign with its core objectives.
At the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), employees who had received termination notices were instructed to return. While this reinstatement did not equate to job restoration, it highlighted the inconsistency in the communication. For instance, at the NIH, workers from the public records office received emails restoring their access but did not nullify their termination notices.
At the CDC, various divisions experienced disproportionate impacts, with some completely shuttered due to layoffs. Staff are navigating significant challenges as they attempt to gather information about the job cuts, relying on crowdsourced lists and advice shared among their colleagues.
The broader restructuring also mandated a 35% cut in contract spending across HHS, adding further uncertainty for the remaining staff tasked with realizing these reductions. As remaining staff adapt to new constraints, reports of widespread anger and despair are emerging among the scientific and support staff. This restructuring threatens to disrupt crucial scientific research efforts, with one NIH official expressing significant concern over the long-term impact on infectious disease research and international competitiveness.
The future remains unclear as communication channels are disrupted, casting doubt on the strategy of “radical transparency” promised by agency leadership. Despite the challenges, efforts to reorganize and stabilize the department continue amidst the uncertainty.