At present tons of of staff on the US Division of Well being and Human Companies Well being (HHS) obtained emails firing them from their jobs and thanking them for his or her service as a part of HHS deliberate restructuring that was introduced final week by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The restructuring seeks to eradicate a minimum of 10,000 positions, and the Washington Publish reported as we speak that high leaders at each the Nationwide Institutes of Well being (NIH) and the Indian Well being Companies (HIS) have been out on go away or supplied reassignment. Amongst these supplied reassignment is Jeanne Marrazzo, MD, MPH, who was serving because the substitute to Anthony Fauci, MD, because the director of the Nationwide Institute of Allergy and Infectious Ailments (NIAID), which is the NIH’s second largest institute.
In keeping with an e-mail to Marrazzo obtained by the Publish, the letter acknowledged, “The Division of Well being and Human Companies proposes to reassign you as a part of a broader effort to strengthen the Division and extra successfully promote the well being of the American folks.”
It is chaos—absolute chaos.
In keeping with Science, a minimum of 5 administrators of NIH’s 27 institutes and facilities have been instructed they’re being reassigned. “It is chaos—absolute chaos,” stated one NIH senior scientist in regards to the 1,200 NIH firings. Some workers discovered of their firings solely when their worker playing cards wouldn’t permit them constructing entry.
Some FDA employees not allowed in Maryland workplace
The pinnacle of the Meals and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) tobacco heart, Brian King, PhD, MPH, additionally stated he was positioned on go away and supplied work at a distant IHS subject workplace.
The FDA is predicted to lose 3,500 employees within the coming weeks, with some staffers reporting that they arrived at FDA workplaces as we speak in White Oak, Maryland, and located their badges didn’t work.
Former FDA Commissioner Robert Califf, MD, stated on LinkedIn, “The FDA as we have identified it’s completed, with a lot of the leaders with institutional information and a deep understanding of product growth and security not employed. I imagine that historical past will see this an enormous mistake.”
In videotaped remarks final week, Kennedy stated the HHS cuts would save US taxpayers $1.8 billion yearly, and lowering workers from 82,000 to 62,000 would streamline the company and eradicate authorities bloat. Kennedy stated a lot of the jobs reduce can be administrative.
Sanders, Cassidy ask Kennedy to testify
Senator Invoice Cassidy, (R-LA) chair of the Senate Well being, Training, Labor, and Pensions committee (HELP) and rating member Bernie Sanders (I-VT) wrote to Kennedy as we speak asking him to testify in regards to the HHS restructuring on April 10.
“We’re following up on the dedication you made throughout the affirmation course of that as Secretary you’d come earlier than the HELP Committee on a quarterly foundation, upon request of the Chair,” the letter reads. “The listening to will talk about your proposed reorganization of the Division of Well being and Human Companies.”
