5 months ago
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(NewsNation) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is defending his program to laic disconnected 10,000 employees successful the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, saying the “sprawling” bureau tin beryllium streamlined portion maintaining its halfway mission.
HHS, which oversees the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health, already expects to shed 10,000 employees done a Trump medication buyout plan. If Kennedy has his way, the headcount volition driblet to 62,000.
He noted that HHS has 100 communications departments, 40 procurement departments and “dozens” of IT and quality resources units.
“None of them speech to each other,” Kennedy told “CUOMO” connected Thursday. “And what we’re trying to bash present is to streamline the agency, to destruct the redundancies and to absorption the ngo truthful that everybody astatine HHS is going to aftermath up each greeting and say, ‘What americium I going to bash contiguous to marque America steadfast again?’”
He said administrators volition beryllium targeted for the occupation cut:. “We’re not cutting scientists. We’re not cutting frontline workers."
The announced layoffs astatine HHS, which administers Medicaid and Medicare, drew warnings from Democrats and argumentation experts. At a quality conference, Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., said Kennedy’s program goes beyond restructuring.
“It is simply a catastrophe for the wellness attraction of each American,” helium said.
Kennedy was considered a arguable prime to pb HHS due to the fact that of his past comments questioning the efficacy of vaccines. He was criticized for initially downplaying recent measles outbreaks successful the U.S. But immoderate of his ideas, specified arsenic urging U.S. nutrient manufacturers to discontinue utilizing artificial dyes, have met with wider acceptance.
The planned HHS occupation cuts are portion of a wider effort wrong the Trump medication to trim the size of government. These efforts person been spearheaded by the arguable Department of Government Efficiency, oregon DOGE, nether Elon Musk.
Kennedy praised DOGE’s efforts to assistance reorganize HHS but conceded the occupation cuts volition beryllium pugnacious for some.
“I think, successful the agelong run, we’re going to person overmuch greater morale successful a demoralized agency," helium said.
Also Thursday, Kennedy declined to remark astir the highly publicized Signal chat leak that has embroiled the U.S. Department of Defense.
