US health agency staff reportedly presented with $25k resignation incentives – media
The HHS has allegedly proposed a voluntary separation package to its employees in line with Trump’s efforts to reduce government spending. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has reportedly extended a voluntary separation package to its 80,000 employees, offering $25,000 to those who resign as part of President Donald Trump’s efforts to curtail government spending.
According to reports from CBS News and NBC News on Saturday, the health agency sent an email to its staff on Friday night, proposing a “voluntary separation incentive payment.” This initiative aims to reduce the workforce without implementing forced layoffs. Employees are required to submit their applications by March 14, with anticipated departures occurring before the end of the fiscal year. Neither the White House nor HHS has commented on the situation despite media inquiries.
HHS is responsible for managing several key health agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The proposed buyout follows a series of job reductions within the agency, where numerous probationary employees—those with less than a year of service—were reportedly informed last month about their impending termination. The CDC has also experienced substantial workforce cuts.
In late February, US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. indicated there could be additional reductions in his department, mentioning he had a “generic list” of employees he wanted to remove.
These buyout offers are part of Trump’s overarching strategy to tackle government spending and bureaucracy, spearheaded by the newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by billionaire Elon Musk. Since its formation shortly after Trump’s inauguration, DOGE has initiated an extensive overhaul of federal agencies, resulting in job cuts, program eliminations, and departmental restructuring.
Last month, DOGE announced that the Inter-American Foundation, a US foreign aid agency, had been reduced to just one employee, the minimum required for operational purposes. The department also targeted USAID, the primary US agency for international development, resulting in the layoff of 2,000 employees and putting most of the remaining staff on leave.
Debra A Smith contributed to this report for TROIB News
According to reports from CBS News and NBC News on Saturday, the health agency sent an email to its staff on Friday night, proposing a “voluntary separation incentive payment.” This initiative aims to reduce the workforce without implementing forced layoffs. Employees are required to submit their applications by March 14, with anticipated departures occurring before the end of the fiscal year. Neither the White House nor HHS has commented on the situation despite media inquiries.
HHS is responsible for managing several key health agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The proposed buyout follows a series of job reductions within the agency, where numerous probationary employees—those with less than a year of service—were reportedly informed last month about their impending termination. The CDC has also experienced substantial workforce cuts.
In late February, US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. indicated there could be additional reductions in his department, mentioning he had a “generic list” of employees he wanted to remove.
These buyout offers are part of Trump’s overarching strategy to tackle government spending and bureaucracy, spearheaded by the newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by billionaire Elon Musk. Since its formation shortly after Trump’s inauguration, DOGE has initiated an extensive overhaul of federal agencies, resulting in job cuts, program eliminations, and departmental restructuring.
Last month, DOGE announced that the Inter-American Foundation, a US foreign aid agency, had been reduced to just one employee, the minimum required for operational purposes. The department also targeted USAID, the primary US agency for international development, resulting in the layoff of 2,000 employees and putting most of the remaining staff on leave.
Debra A Smith contributed to this report for TROIB News
