Trump Administration Cuts FDA Workforce, Raises Safety Concerns

The Trump administration's initiative to downsize the federal workforce has led to significant layoffs at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), with recently hired employees responsible for food safety and medical device oversight being terminated. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced plans to cut 5,200 probationary employees across its agencies, including the FDA, CDC, and NIH. The layoffs are particularly concerning as they coincide with an increase in foodborne illnesses and related hospitalizations over the past year. Employees received termination notices on Saturday evening, affecting those in the FDA's divisions overseeing food, medical devices, and tobacco products, although it is unclear if drug reviewers were also impacted. Newly appointed Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. has targeted the FDA's operations, previously accusing it of failing to sanction certain unverified treatments. The full extent of this workforce reduction remains uncertain, as neither HHS nor the White House provided comments on the matter.