Over 80,000 federal employees of public health institutions in the United States are shaking their jobs. Some people employed at the Food and Medicine Agency (FDA) have been ordered to pack and prepare for the possibility that they will not return to their tasks anymore, AP said.
Secretary of Health and Social Welfare (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He announced a thorough reorganization last week, which will reduce the number of jobs by 20,000. About 10 thousand places will be eliminated by exemptions.
The message sent to some employees of the FDA said that they should check their emails in terms of possible notification of the liquidation of their positions.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.Bloomberg Pool/PAP/EPA
Huge cuts
Kennedy criticized his department for ineffective “growing bureaucracy”. He stated that the annual budget of the department in the amount of $ 1.7 billion “did not improve the health of Americans.” He announced plans to improve the activities and connect some agencies into one.
Last Friday, thousands of federal healthcare professionals dealing with stopping the spread of infectious diseases, received information that they would be sent on vacation. Several current and former federal officials informed AP that the Office for Infectious Diseases and HIV/AIDS policy “was emptied”.
– This exposes a number of important actions to improve the health of Americans – said Dr. Robert H. Hopkins Jr., former chairman of the National Advisory Committee for vaccines.
According to an anonymous HHS official, however, the office will not be closed. The department tries to consolidate work and reduce the number of dismissals.
Building of the US Health DepartmentWill Oliver/PAP
Withdrawal of funds related to Covid-19
In addition to purges in federal agencies, the cuts also began in state and local health departments. This was due to the withdrawal of over $ 11 billion from Covid-19 funds last week by the ministry.
Some local health departments have already identified hundreds of jobs that can be eliminated due to loss of funds.
Source of the main photo: Will Oliver/PAP