RFK Jr plans 10,000 job cuts in restructuring of US health department

The US health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr has announced he intends to slash the size of the department he leads by a huge fraction – around 10,000 jobs out of the 82,000 full time workforce.

Kennedy announced on Thursday that he also plans to close some regional offices.

The restructuring, along with previous voluntary departures, will result in a total downsizing to 62,000.

“We aren’t just reducing bureaucratic sprawl. We are realigning the organization with its core mission and our new priorities in reversing the chronic disease epidemic,” Kennedy said.

The job cuts were reported first by the Wall Street Journal and the shake-up will reportedly feature a new division called the “administration for a healthy America” (AHA).

Reuters contributed reporting