US Department of Health Undergoing Major Staff Cuts: WSJ Reveals Plan

The US Department of Health is facing significant downsizing, as the Trump administration plans not only to cut a large number of employees but also eliminate approximately 10,000 full-time positions and close regional offices, according to reports by the Wall Street Journal citing internal documents. Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is expected to announce the planned changes later today (March 27, 2025), the publication claims. The plan includes the removal of 10,000 full-time employees from various services responsible for responding to disease outbreaks, approving new drugs, and providing insurance for low-income Americans. These job cuts come after 10,000 employees have already voluntarily left the department since the start of Trump’s second term in the White House through voluntary exit offers, according to the WSJ. The voluntary exits and the proposed plan, if fully implemented, will reduce the department’s workforce to 62,000 federal employees in the health sector. Among the 10,000 layoffs, the Trump administration plans to cut 3,500 permanent staff from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), about 19% of its workforce; 2,400 employees from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 18% of its personnel; 1,200 employees from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), roughly 6% of their workforce; and 300 employees from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), approximately 4% of its staff.