WASHINGTON (AP) — A majority of the 80,000 federal employees tasked with disease research, food inspections, and Medicare and Medicaid management under the Health and Human Services Department received an email offering them a chance to resign with a payment of up to $25,000 as part of President Donald Trump’s budget reduction strategy.
Workers have until 5 p.m. on Friday to respond to the so-called voluntary separation offer. The announcement was disseminated to personnel across the department, which encompasses the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, as well as the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration, both based in Maryland.
WATCH: DOGE continues to shrink the federal workforce after already dismissing over 30,000 staff.
The mass communication reached a “wide range of HHS employees,” hitting their inboxes just days before agency leaders are set to unveil strategies for workforce reductions. HHS ranks as one of the most expensive federal agencies, with an annual budget nearing $1.7 trillion, largely dedicated to healthcare services for millions enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid.
No immediate response was given Sunday from HHS.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who serves as Trump’s health secretary, has indicated intentions for significant staff reductions. Last year, he pledged to swiftly eliminate all 600 positions at the NIH, the nation’s biomedical research facility. While he hasn’t fulfilled that promise, Kennedy mentioned in an interview last month, shortly after his inauguration, that he aims to remove specific employees from public health agencies.
“I have a list in my head,” Kennedy remarked regarding potential layoffs at the agency, criticizing some employees for having made “really bad decisions” regarding nutrition guidelines.
The Trump administration, with backing from billionaire Elon Musk, has been actively working to reduce the federal workforce in a bid to save money. Earlier in January, the majority of federal workers received an offer for deferred resignation, which included eight months’ salary. Additionally, numerous probationary staff members have been terminated across federal departments, including HHS.
The recent initiative to cut back on federal health employees arises as the CDC aids in managing a severe measles outbreak in West Texas and New Mexico, while lawmakers are considering substantial reductions to Medicaid in the federal budget.
In the email, HHS workers are instructed to contact their local human resources office to apply for the voluntary separation.
