The newest purge of federal health workers couldn't come at a worse time
Support our nonprofit journalism March 10, 2025 As a measles outbreak unfolds in Texas and wary officials monitor the bird flu , how is the Trump administration responding? By reportedly trying to get rid of thousands of employees at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), as I wrote yesterday . On Friday, staff of the highly consequential umbrella agency—which employs more than 80,000 people across offices including at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Food and Drug Administration (FDA)—reportedly received an email offering them $25,000 buyouts. The offer, which is available to employees in good standing who have worked for the government for at least three years, could lead to a purge of even more government workers at a time when public health already feels on the brink. Why? Take a look at HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s response to the measle...