By Ahmed Aboulenein
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Democrats in the House of Representatives demanded answers on Wednesday from U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on the exact number of employees fired from the health agencies he oversees and warned the dismissals could undermine public health.
Hundreds of workers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, and the National Institutes of Health have been forced out as President Donald Trump overhauls government agencies.
In three letters sent on Wednesday, one each for the CDC, the FDA, and the NIH, Energy and Commerce Committee senior Democrat Frank Pallone Jr., and the top Democrat on the Health Subcommittee, Diana DeGette, pressed Kennedy to disclose not only how many workers were terminated at each agency, but also how many more layoffs are expected.
They also asked how many of the currently vacant positions would be left unfilled and how many of those fired were responsible for responding to outbreaks of diseases like bird flu, measles, and mpox.
Kennedy had pledged “radical transparency” and accountability including an “unprecedented level of collaboration” with Congress during his confirmation hearings.
HHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Kennedy intended to provide the information.
Pallone and DeGette also asked whether HHS conducted any assessment of how these firings would impact the country’s ability to respond to public health threats.
“We are deeply concerned these widespread terminations took place without any review of these employees’ work history or without any analysis of the impacts these job losses would have on the Department’s ability to protect the health and well-being of the American people,” they wrote.
The letters come just a day after a federal judge ruled that the Trump administration’s directives, which led to the mass firings, were illegal and ordered them to be rescinded.
Pallone and DeGette warned that failing to restore these positions could put Americans at greater risk from foodborne illnesses, infectious disease outbreaks, and delays in medical research.
“The impending impact of these terminations, including exposing Americans to greater death and illness due to outbreaks of foodborne illness and infectious disease, will fall on your shoulders,” they wrote.
(Reporting by Ahmed Aboulenein; Editing by Alistair Bell)
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