HHS layoffs are finalised as thousands of pink slips arrive

Thousands of Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) employees across the FDA, CDC, and other agencies, who have been under threat of permanently losing their jobs for months, have started to receive official termination notices.

The pink slips started to arrive earlier this week after a ruling by the Supreme Court cleared the way for reduction-in-force (RIF) job losses announced earlier this year by the Trump administration and HHS Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr – on hold while the legal process played out – to be finalised.

"Given the Supreme Court's ruling, HHS is now permitted to move forward with a portion of its RIF. Accordingly, you are hereby notified that you are officially separated from HHS at the close of business on July 14, 2025," according to an emailed notice that went out on Monday evening. "Thank you for your service to the American people."

Kennedy announced 10,000 cuts to the full-time workforce at the agencies his department oversees in March, taking the total reductions to around 20,000 after taking into account early retirements, the 'Fork in the Road' scheme of deferred resignation, and the wholesale firing of probationary workers.

Subsequently, some staffers were re-hired when it became apparent their dismissal would damage the agencies' ability to carry out their functions, while some are still protected by a separate court case, but the layoffs still number in their thousands.

Some workers only discovered their employment had been terminated after they turned up to work as usual, only to be told to hand in their badges and go home. Having been on administrative leave since then, they remained on the payroll until Monday evening, when the Supreme Court finally delivered its ruling and the last legal obstacle to the reductions fell.

The FDA has borne the brunt of the job losses, with 3,500 workers given their marching orders, with the CDC set to reduce its headcount by around 2,400 and the NIH losing 1,200 staffers.

Social media networks like LinkedIn are now awash with former FDA staffers confirming they have lost their jobs, most voicing anger and disgust. One former worker wrote: "After years of dedicated service showing up with heart, grit, and commitment, this news came with no guidance, no clarity on next steps, and no real explanation. Just a thank you, and a goodbye."

They added: "I'm disgusted with how this administration has handled something so deeply personal with such cold detachment. Anyone who's ever navigated federal hiring knows the uphill battle it takes just to get in the door, months of waiting, security clearances, interviews, and layers of uncertainty. And now, after all that, I'm being let go in an email."

Photo by Igor Omilaev on Unsplash