"HHS, through its agencies, is responsible for tracking health trends and disease outbreaks, conducting and funding medical research, and monitoring the safety of food and medicine, as well as for administering health insurance programs for nearly half the country. Among the HHS agencies facing staff cuts were the CDC, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or SAMHSA, and the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, or ASPR, according to current and laid-off employees who spoke with The Associated Press."
"Former staffers and health professionals said they were concerned the layoffs could have negative health impacts and make it difficult for HHS agencies to fulfill their obligations set by Congress. HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon said the laid off employees were deemed nonessential. He added the agency is working to close wasteful and duplicative entities, including those that are at odds with the Trump administration's Make America Healthy Again agenda."
Hundreds of federal employees working on mental health services, disease outbreak response, and disaster preparedness were among those affected by a government-wide reduction-in-force intended to pressure Democratic lawmakers during a near two-week government shutdown. The initiative hit the Department of Health and Human Services six months after an earlier round of cuts and overlapped with shutdown-related work disruptions. Many CDC employees initially received layoff notices in error and later learned they remained employed. Affected agencies include CDC, SAMHSA, and ASPR. Former staffers warned the layoffs could harm public health and impede agencies' ability to meet congressional obligations. An HHS spokesperson described the laid-off workers as nonessential and cited efforts to remove duplicative entities.
Read at www.twincities.com
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