Federal Layoffs to Hit HHS Amid Government Shutdown, May Affect Food Safety Staffers
The Trump Administration revealed that it will begin mass layoffs of furloughed federal employees as the government shutdown continues, with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) among its first targets. Sources report that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will be particularly affected.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also falls under HHS. Outside HHS, another department reportedly included in the initial layoffs is the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The looming threat of mass layoffs has hung over the head of federal agencies throughout the current government shutdown. Earlier in 2025, the White House issued a memo to federal agency leadership directing them to consider mass firings of furloughed employees whose funding had lapsed during a shutdown. Among those now furloughed include FDA inspectors, food additive safety reviewers, and other food safety regulators.
Although the White House has not revealed how many staffers will be dismissed, a representative from the Office of Management and Budget confirmed to NBC News that the layoffs would be “substantial.”
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has published a statement urging President Trump not to fire furloughed federal workers, especially those at FDA, which is already struggling to meet its food safety inspection targets. According to CSPI, nearly 20 percent of human food inspection positions are currently vacant, with gaps even higher for infant formula inspection, where 40 percent of positions remain unfilled.
“If the White House moves forward with threats to punish federal workers and applies them to those working on food safety and other critical issues, it would contribute to additional devastating losses for [the Human Food Program] as inspectors are fired or leave due to poor conditions, impairing the government’s ability to protect public health and safety on an ongoing basis,” wrote Sarah Sorscher, J.D., M.P.H., Director of Regulatory Affairs at CSPI.
HHS already experienced mass firings and restructuring in March, shortly after the Trump Administration took power. Specifically, approximately 3,500 and 2,400 staffers currently employed at FDA and CDC, respectively, have already been let go.
Looking for quick answers on food safety topics?
Try Ask FSM, our new smart AI search tool.
Ask FSM →
Since the March firings, CDC has continued to experience cuts to its programs and losses of top officials. Relevant to food safety, funding cuts have affected CDC’s Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) surveillance program, which, in August, quietly slashed the number of foodborne pathogens monitored under the program from eight to two.
The dismissal of Trump-appointed CDC Director Susan Monarez also played out publicly in August, who was just confirmed by the Senate in July. Shortly after Dr. Monarez was terminated, three of the agency’s veteran, top-ranking scientific experts also resigned: Debra Houry, M.D., Chief Medical Officer and Deputy Director of Programs and Science; Demetre Daskalakis, M.D., Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases; and Dan Jernigan, M.D., Director of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID). Several food safety activities fall under the purview of NCEZID, including tracking foodborne illness outbreaks, zoonotic diseases, and antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
Update, October 14, 2025: Among the approximately 1,300 CDC staffers that were laid off by President Trump amid the government shutdown reductions in force (RIFs), 700 have been quickly rehired, including the entire staff and editors of CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, and 70 Epidemic Intelligence Service officers, or “Disease Detectives.” Read more here.
