The FDA has reinstated additional employees who were previously laid off amid a broader restructuring effort, KFF Health News reported May 2.
HHS began issuing dismissal notices April 1 as part of a plan to eliminate more than 10,000 full-time positions, including 3,500 at the FDA.
Here are three things to know:
1. Some staff responsible for processing records related to tobacco and medical device regulation were informed May 1 they are no longer part of the layoffs and could return to their work immediately, KFF reported. The move follows other reversals, including for scientists and inspections staff.
2. The affected workers handle Freedom of Information Act requests across the agency. These operations have largely stalled, according to several current or former employees. The FDA missed multiple court-ordered deadlines to provide documents in April, KFF reported.
3. The reinstatements came after HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said officials were “restoring all the FOIA offices.” HHS also previously laid off the CDC’s office responsible for handling its FOIA requests, according to the report.
