How the shutdown impacts healthcare: Reductions in force begin at HHS, with some hiccups at CDC

Fierce Healthcare – Monday, October 13, 2025
By Emma Beavins, Paige Minemyer, Dave Muoio

The Trump administration has begun to make good on its threat to fire federal workers during the government shutdown, with cuts confirmed to affect the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)—including more than 600 at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) after taking into account hundreds of missent termination notices and rescindments.

The reductions in force (RIFs) were confirmed Friday by Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought in a four-word social media post: “The RIFs have begun.” Vought’s office had been threatening the layoffs as a potential consequence of a prolonged shutdown, and Vought himself has long been a vocal proponent of shrinking the federal workforce.

A spokesperson for HHS confirmed that its employees are included in the reductions, though did not specify how many workers or which agencies are being affected.

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