US health agency layoffs gut mine safety, infertility and smoking programs

Thousands lost jobs as sweeping cuts reshape public health, leaving experts and lawmakers scrambling Experts in everything from mine safety to smoking and infertility were hit by mass layoffs in branch after branch of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr’s plan to downsize nearly a quarter of the 82,000-person workforce took effect.Even as the sprawling nature of layoffs became apparent on Tuesday, a complete accounting was elusive. Layoffs were undertaken with few public details, with even apoplectic congressional lawmakers left in the dark. Continue reading...