Layoffs start at federal agencies that deal with health, drugs, food, health insurance

Employees across the massive U.S. Department of Health and Human Services began receiving notices of dismissal on Tuesday in a major overhaul expected to ultimately lay off up to 10,000 people. The notices come just days after President Trump moved to strip workers of their collective bargaining rights at HHS and other agencies throughout the government.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a plan last week to remake HHS which, through its agencies, is responsible for tracking health trends and disease outbreaks, conducting and funding medical research, monitoring the safety of food and medicine, and administering health insurance programs for nearly half the country.

The plan would consolidate agencies that oversee billions of dollars for addiction services and community health centers across the country under a new office called the Administration for a Healthy America.