- Senior HHS officials, including Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, Dr. Diana Bianchi, Vence L. Bonham Jr., Julia Tierney (FDA) and Dr. Peter Stein (FDA), were placed on administrative leave. Stein refused a forced reassignment and was subsequently suspended.
- Despite the personnel changes, HHS websites still list the officials in their roles, and no formal statements have been issued. NIH deferred inquiries to HHS, which declined to comment.
- The moves align with HHS Secretary RFK Jr.'s plan to cut 10,000 federal health positions, including 3,500 at the FDA, 2,400 at the CDC, 1,200 at NIH and 300 at CMS. Layoffs began this week, affecting FOIA staff among others.
- HHS claims the restructuring targets "redundant or unnecessary administrative roles." RFK Jr. argues the cuts are necessary to "end the chronic disease epidemic" and "Make America Healthy Again," despite rising healthcare spending and worsening outcomes.
- RFK Jr. acknowledged the difficulty of layoffs but insisted HHS must shift focus from "sick care" to prevention, claiming the overhaul won't affect Medicare, Medicaid or essential services. He framed it as a taxpayer and public health benefit.
Multiple high-ranking officials within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), including the successor to Dr. Anthony Fauci, have been placed on administrative leave.
According to several reports, among those officials affected is Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, who took over as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) in 2023 following the retirement of Fauci. Automated email responses from Marrazzo and other senior officials at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) confirmed their leave status as of April 3.
Dr. Diana Bianchi, the director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development since 2016 and Vence L. Bonham Jr., acting deputy director of the National Human Genome Research Institute, who has been with NIH since at least 2005, were also placed on leave.
The personnel changes extend beyond NIH. Julia Tierney, the acting director of the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research and Dr. Peter Stein, the director of the FDA's Office of New Drugs, were also placed on leave.
Stein even revealed that he was given an ultimatum: accept reassignment to a "patient affairs" role or face termination. After refusing what he called a "ridiculous" offer, he was placed on administrative leave.
But despite all these moves, HHS websites still list the officials in their positions and no formal public statements have been issued regarding their status. When contacted, NIH referred inquiries to HHS, which declined to comment on individual employment matters.
RFK Jr.: HHS needs to be recalibrated
The shakeup comes amid a broader workforce reduction at HHS.
In March, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. unveiled plans to eliminate 10,000 federal health agency positions in a bid to streamline government operations. The cuts impact 3,500 employees at the FDA, 2,400 at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1,200 at the NIH and 300 from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. (Related: HHS Secretary Kennedy announces major workforce cuts, eliminating 10,000 full-time positions.)
Layoffs commenced this week, affecting staff handling Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, among others.
A spokesperson for the HHS said that the restructuring targeted "redundant or unnecessary administrative roles." Meanwhile, Kennedy reiterated on X, formerly known as Twitter, that while the reductions were "difficult," they were essential to "end the chronic disease epidemic and Make America Healthy Again."
"This is a difficult moment for all of us at HHS. Our hearts go out to those who have lost their jobs. But the reality is clear: what we've been doing isn't working. Despite spending $1.9 trillion in annual costs, Americans are getting sicker every year. In the past four years alone, the agency's budget has grown by 38 percent – yet outcomes continue to decline.
"We must shift course. HHS needs to be recalibrated to emphasize prevention, not just sick care. These changes will not affect Medicare, Medicaid or other essential health services. This overhaul is about realigning HHS with its core mission: to stop the chronic disease epidemic and Make America Healthy Again. It's a win-win for taxpayers and for every American we serve," Kennedy posted.
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Watch this episode of "The Kim Iversen Show" that touches on RFK Jr.'s plan as health secretary.
This video is from the Sanivan channel on Brighteon.com.
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