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HHS Moves Forward With Thousands of Layoffs Following High Court Decision

Ongoing legal challenges maintain exemptions for CDC and FDA units, delaying full workforce reductions

A man casts a shadow as he walks toward the Hubert H. Humphrey Building, headquarters of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 1, 2025. The department is moving forward with job cuts.
A sign is displayed outside of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) headquarters at the Hubert H. Humphrey Building in Washington, DC, on June 2.
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Overview

  • On July 14 HHS issued separation notices to thousands under its March 27 reduction-in-force plan after the Supreme Court lifted a stay on July 8
  • Preliminary injunctions in cases such as NY v. Kennedy continue to protect employees in six CDC divisions, FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products and Head Start
  • Combined with earlier voluntary buyouts and early retirements, the latest terminations will shrink HHS’s headcount from 82,000 to about 62,000
  • Numerous staffers remain unaware of their official separations because they lack email access and must wait for notices to arrive by mail
  • Federal courts are still considering challenges to the RIF process amid warnings that protracted litigation and staffing cuts could impair public health functions