The White House’s plans to cut around 10,000 employees at health agencies under the HHS went into full effect on 1 April.

First came Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s ouster of a top official at the Department of Health and Human Services’ vaccine division. Then, the HHS chief pushed out the people overseeing new drug reviews and tobacco,

Kennedy Jr. looks on, ahead of President Donald Trump delivering remarks on tariffs, in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 2, 2025. REUTERS/Leah Millis/File Photo (Reuters) - Cantor Fitzgerald analysts renewed their criticism of U.

Thousands of employees fired this week from the Department of Health and Human Services and the public health agencies it oversees may be asked to temporarily continue working for two months, the department said on Thursday.

Kennedy’s silence is prompting questions from lawmakers, with a bipartisan request for the health secretary to appear before a Senate committee next week to explain the cuts.

Kennedy Jr. offered no new details Wednesday about his massive restructuring of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the day after thousands of layoffs ricocheted through its agencies, hollowing out entire offices around the country in some cases.

Kennedy Jr. fat-shamed the state’s governor, Patrick Morrisey. “The first time I saw him, I said you look like you ate Governor Morrisey,” Kennedy told a laughing crowd. Morrisey has apparently invited Kennedy to be his personal trainer.