HHS Offers $25,000 Buyouts to Employees as Workforce Reduction Intensifies

The Trump administration's effort to shrink federal agencies targets Health and Human Services, raising concerns about public health challenges.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has extended a $25,000 voluntary buyout offer to most of its 80,000 employees, with a deadline to respond by March 14.
This move is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration, led by the Department of Government Efficiency under Elon Musk, to reduce the size of the federal workforce.
HHS oversees critical agencies like the CDC, NIH, and FDA, which are currently addressing a measles outbreak in Texas and New Mexico and monitoring bird flu cases in the U.S.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has previously indicated plans to restructure the department, raising concerns about the potential impact on public health initiatives and services.
The buyout offer follows earlier workforce reductions across federal agencies, with thousands of probationary employees already terminated since January.