STAT+: HHS employees to be fired as White House enacts mass terminations it blames on shutdown

WASHINGTON — Federal health workers are being laid off as the White House follows through on its commitment to dismiss a significant number of federal employees, coinciding with the conclusion of the government’s second week of shutdown.

A representative from the Department of Health and Human Services confirmed to STAT on Friday that the layoffs, referred to as reductions in force, have affected the department, though specifics on which agencies were impacted or the number of employees being let go were not disclosed. During a cabinet meeting on Thursday, President Trump indicated that these layoffs will affect “Democrat” programs, as Republicans hold their Democratic peers responsible for the shutdown.

“Employees at HHS across various divisions have received reduction-in-force notifications directly linked to the Democrat-led government shutdown. The Biden administration has led HHS into a state of excessive growth, with its budget soaring by 38% and its staff increasing by 17%,” stated HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon.