Selena Simmons-Duffin

You're welcome.

You're welcome.

You're welcome.

It was so confusing. It was really unclear who had been cut, why they had been cut. The communication around the cuts was very difficult to understand. So one example of this is that the RIF notices went out in the very, very, very, very early morning of April 1st, and a lot of people missed them.

It was so confusing. It was really unclear who had been cut, why they had been cut. The communication around the cuts was very difficult to understand. So one example of this is that the RIF notices went out in the very, very, very, very early morning of April 1st, and a lot of people missed them.

It was so confusing. It was really unclear who had been cut, why they had been cut. The communication around the cuts was very difficult to understand. So one example of this is that the RIF notices went out in the very, very, very, very early morning of April 1st, and a lot of people missed them.

So they went to work as normal, tried to badge into the building, and found out their jobs had disappeared. There was no master plan showing this department's cut and that one's not. There's no explanation for why this team was cut and that one remains. So there was all of this crowdsourcing, trying to piece together who's still here, why, and what does it all mean.

So they went to work as normal, tried to badge into the building, and found out their jobs had disappeared. There was no master plan showing this department's cut and that one's not. There's no explanation for why this team was cut and that one remains. So there was all of this crowdsourcing, trying to piece together who's still here, why, and what does it all mean.

So they went to work as normal, tried to badge into the building, and found out their jobs had disappeared. There was no master plan showing this department's cut and that one's not. There's no explanation for why this team was cut and that one remains. So there was all of this crowdsourcing, trying to piece together who's still here, why, and what does it all mean.

So what is the rationale for all of these cuts? Well, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who's the Secretary of Health and Human Services, has described the department as a sprawling bureaucracy. He points to the fact that American life expectancy is lower here than it is in other similar wealthy countries, which is true. But then he puts the blame for that on these federal health agencies.

So what is the rationale for all of these cuts? Well, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who's the Secretary of Health and Human Services, has described the department as a sprawling bureaucracy. He points to the fact that American life expectancy is lower here than it is in other similar wealthy countries, which is true. But then he puts the blame for that on these federal health agencies.

So what is the rationale for all of these cuts? Well, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who's the Secretary of Health and Human Services, has described the department as a sprawling bureaucracy. He points to the fact that American life expectancy is lower here than it is in other similar wealthy countries, which is true. But then he puts the blame for that on these federal health agencies.

So that is the context. Kennedy is coming in here with a lot of distrust of these agencies. He wants to dramatically reshape them. He also has Doge and the Trump administration asking for bold actions to shrink the federal workforce. So overall, this plan that Kennedy outlined in late March and that these RIF notices were executing...

So that is the context. Kennedy is coming in here with a lot of distrust of these agencies. He wants to dramatically reshape them. He also has Doge and the Trump administration asking for bold actions to shrink the federal workforce. So overall, this plan that Kennedy outlined in late March and that these RIF notices were executing...

So that is the context. Kennedy is coming in here with a lot of distrust of these agencies. He wants to dramatically reshape them. He also has Doge and the Trump administration asking for bold actions to shrink the federal workforce. So overall, this plan that Kennedy outlined in late March and that these RIF notices were executing...

takes HHS from an agency of 82,000 employees down to 62,000 employees. That is a 25 percent reduction in the workforce.

takes HHS from an agency of 82,000 employees down to 62,000 employees. That is a 25 percent reduction in the workforce.

takes HHS from an agency of 82,000 employees down to 62,000 employees. That is a 25 percent reduction in the workforce.

I mean, as I said, there's really no master list. So what we have come to understand has, again, been this kind of weird crowdsourcing process. Whole centers at CDC were eliminated. Violence prevention, tobacco smoke, reproductive health, HIV prevention, workplace safety, including services for coal miners who get black lung disease. At FDA, food safety labs were hit.

I mean, as I said, there's really no master list. So what we have come to understand has, again, been this kind of weird crowdsourcing process. Whole centers at CDC were eliminated. Violence prevention, tobacco smoke, reproductive health, HIV prevention, workplace safety, including services for coal miners who get black lung disease. At FDA, food safety labs were hit.