Statement from Women’s Voices for the Earth on HHS Layoffs 

April 2, 2025 
 

As reported in multiple news outlets this week, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced layoffs of 10,000 workers, including 3,500 FDA employees (roughly 19 percent of its total workforce) and 2,400 CDC workers (roughly 18 percent). The CDC numbers include 873 workers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) (two-thirds of its workforce). 

Following is a statement from Women’s Voices for the Earth’s Co-Executive Director Debra Erenberg: 

We at Women’s Voices for the Earth extend our sympathy to the 10,000 public servants who lost their jobs at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), their families and communities. We commiserate with the remaining workforce who must take on the burden of performing their duties in a chaotic and severely under-resourced environment. This massive reduction in force, without public input or transparency about planned restructuring, jeopardizes the health and safety of workers and consumers across the US and beyond. 

Firing thousands of researchers, investigators and frontline staff is no way to “make America healthy again.” Workers and families deserve better.