Top U.S. Health Agency Makes Buyout Offer to Most Employees

WASHINGTON — Recently, an email was dispatched to most of the 80,000 federal employees at the Health and Human Services Department, who are engaged in vital tasks like disease research, food safety inspections, and managing Medicare and Medicaid. This email presented them with an opportunity to voluntarily resign in exchange for a payment of up to $25,000, part of the cost-cutting measures initiated by President Donald Trump.

Employees can begin opting into this offer starting Monday, with a deadline set for 5 p.m. on Friday to submit their responses. The message reached personnel throughout the department, which encompasses key agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), both located in Maryland.

The mass communication targeted a wide array of HHS employees, arriving just days before agency leaders are expected to unveil plans aimed at workforce reductions. The HHS is notably one of the most expensive federal entities, operating with an annual budget close to $1.7 trillion, predominantly allocated for healthcare services for millions enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid.

The agency is responsible for overseeing health insurance for nearly half of the U.S. population, providing Medicare for seniors and Medicaid for low-income individuals and those with disabilities.

As of Sunday, there has been no immediate response from HHS regarding the email.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who serves as Trump’s health secretary, has alluded to potential significant staff reductions. Last year, he pledged to eliminate 600 positions at the NIH, the country’s primary biomedical research institute. While he has not yet implemented such drastic cuts, he mentioned in a recent interview that he intends to streamline the workforce at public health agencies.