The Trump administration’s initiative to reduce the federal workforce has impacted the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), resulting in the firing of recently hired probationary employees responsible for reviewing the safety of food ingredients and medical devices.
Notices of job eliminations were sent out to these employees on Saturday evening, primarily affecting those in the agency’s centers for food, medical devices, and tobacco products.
While the total number of positions eliminated remains unclear, reports indicated that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services planned to lay off around 5,200 probationary employees across its agencies, including the FDA and the CDC.
As of early Sunday, approximately 700 employees had received layoff notices, with no impact on young doctors and researchers in the CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service.
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