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Thousands of US Health Department employees could lose their jobs
Officials were instructed to prepare lists of employees who play a critical role and should keep their jobs, as well as lists with the names of thousands of those who could be fired.
According to the WSJ, Health Ministry officials have been instructed to prepare lists of employees who play an important role in the department and should retain their positions, as well as lists with the names of those who can be fired.
“The president could sign an executive order as early as next week to end the deferred dismissal offer, under which federal employees can leave their jobs at will in exchange for compensation equivalent to eight months’ salary,” the publication writes.
It is assumed that the dismissals will affect the US Department of Health itself, as well as the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
All of these agencies perform various functions, from approving new drugs to tracking bird flu outbreaks to cancer research. The US Department of Health and Human Services and its agencies employ 80 people, according to the WSJ.
