HHS administers health insurance programs that affect nearly half the U.S. population, including Medicare and Medicaid, and regulates medical products and food. Critics warn that the scale of the cuts could jeopardize disease response capacity,

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced his plans to slash 10,000 full-time employees across departments last week. This, in addition to the 10,000 employees who opted to leave, brings down the total number of staff from 82,000 to 62,000.

The Trump administration has carried out mass layoffs across the Department of Health and Human Services, aiming to slash around 10,000 full-time jobs from the federal agencies long tasked with regulating food and drugs and overseeing the nation’s public health policies.