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'If You Can Keep It': The Federal Health Firings
Apr 7, 2025
Julie Rovner, Chief Washington correspondent for KFF Health News, Angela Rasmussen, a virologist from the University of Saskatchewan, and Dan Diamond, a White House reporter for The Washington Post, delve into the recent drastic layoffs at the Department of Health and Human Services. They discuss how these job cuts could threaten public health services, drug approvals, and critical biomedical research. Tensions rise over vaccine regulations amidst ongoing health crises, creating concerns about the integrity of health policy under political influences.
34:10
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Quick takeaways
- The recent layoffs at HHS eliminate critical roles essential for drug approvals and disease tracking, risking public health safety.
- The changes in leadership and budget cuts at HHS signal a potentially disruptive shift in U.S. health policy and research initiatives.
Deep dives
Massive Layoffs at HHS and Public Health Impact
The recent layoffs at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) resulted in a loss of around 10,000 jobs, affecting crucial positions across various public health sectors. Key departments, such as the CDC and the FDA, were notably impacted, compromising their ability to track diseases, approve drugs, and address public health emergencies. Experts fear that such sweeping job cuts will severely hinder the U.S. health infrastructure, particularly as the country grapples with challenges like a measles outbreak. The chaos of the layoffs has left many aware that decisive health functions have been significantly dismantled.
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