RFK Jr admits health department may have to rehire 20 percent of people fired in DOGE cuts
The Trump administration could end up rehiring as many as 20 percent of the agency employees it fires as part of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative, according to Department of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
"At DOGE, we talked about this from the beginning ... we're going to do 80 percent cuts, but 20 percent of those are going to have to be reinstalled, because we'll make mistakes," Kennedy told reporters on Thursday at an event in Virginia, Politico reports.
'If we make mistakes, we're going to admit it and we're going to remedy it,' he added.
The comments came as Kennedy's department moved this week to cut some 10,000 jobs, including drastically cutting the National Institutes of Health, the world's largest funder of biomedical research, and eliminating thousands of health regulators at the Food and Drug Administration overseeing issues like drug reviews, vaccines, and tobacco.
Among those who may be rehired are regulators from a Centers for Disease Control initiative aimed at monitoring children's exposure to unsafe levels of lead.
"There were some programs that were cuts that are being reinstated, and I believe that that's one," Kennedy said.
The comments mirror those made by DOGE's de facto leader, Elon Musk, who said in February the effort had 'accidentally canceled' the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) 's program to prevent the spread of the deadly ebola virus.
"We will make mistakes," Musk said. "We won't be perfect, but when we make mistakes we'll fix it very quickly … I think we all want Ebola prevention. So we restored the ebola prevention immediately, and there was no interruption.'
Public health experts said such comments are often misleading, given that DOGE cuts often result in hundreds or thousands of employees on the chopping block, hamstringing the normal function of government efforts.
'This is bunk from Elon. They have laid off most of the experts, they're bankrupting most of the partner [organizations], have withdrawn from WHO [the World Health Organization ], and muzzled CDC [Centers for Disease Contro],' Jeremy Konyndyk, who led the federal government's response to the 2014-2015 West Africa Ebola outbreak as director of USAID's Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, wrote on X after Musk's ebola comments. 'What's left is a fig-leaf effort to cover their asses politically.'
Accidental firings and quick rehirings have been a feature of the DOGE program, which aims to trillions of dollars amounting to most of the U.S. government's annual discretionary spending.
The cuts were so swift at USAID the administration reportedly fired then rehired a staffer to process time sheets.
Meanwhile, in February, the administration reportedly fired then rescinded the terminations of hundreds of employees at the National Nuclear Security Administration, and did the same at the Food and Drug Administration.
In March, in the midst of a legal challenge, the administration was ordered to immediately rehire tens of thousands of probationary federal employees who were terminated from the Departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs, Energy, Agriculture, Interior, and Treasury, among others.
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The Herald Scotland
20 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
RFK fires CDC's ACIP members: What does that mean for Americans?
Noel Brewer, a professor at the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health, had been on the panel, called the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), since July 2024 before the firings blindsided him. "It's surprising... shocking," he said. "None of us had any idea that this was coming, so it came out of the blue and it was not something that's ever been done before with ACIP." Kennedy plans to replace the fired members with new people "currently under consideration," according to a statement by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Kennedy's decision marks a reversal from what a key Republican senator said the Trump Cabinet member had promised during his confirmation hearings earlier this year. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, said Kennedy had promised to maintain the advisory committee's current composition. "If confirmed, he will maintain the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices without changes," Cassidy said. In a June 9 post on X, Cassidy said he's in contact with Kennedy to ensure that ACIP won't "be filled up with people who know nothing about vaccines." Kennedy says "a clean sweep" will "reestablish public confidence in vaccine science," and some who follow the Make America Healthy Again movement praise his decision, but former health officials and medical experts worry the firings will sow more distrust in the public health system and impede access to vaccines. "An important part of our social contract is trust and introducing unnecessary chaos and disruption violates that trust," said Cathy Bradley, dean of the Colorado School of Public Health. Vaccine guidance: RFK Jr. fires entire 17-member CDC vaccine board. Here are the vaccines they recommended What does ACIP do? After the Food and Drug Administration approves a vaccine, ACIP reviews the scientific evidence to create guidance on who should receive it based on age, preexisting medical conditions and other factors. The CDC director approves these recommendations, which shape guidance from other medical organizations and insurance coverage. In an op-ed published by the Wall Street Journal, Kennedy said the committee has been "plagued with persistent conflicts of interest," citing evidence from 25 years ago. Brewer said the committee has since strengthened its vetting process, which typically takes a year from nomination to member status. "All ACIP members go through a vetting for conflicts of interest," he said. "We're not allowed to have them during our time, we're not allowed to accept money from drug companies for consulting or grants, we're not allowed to sue them." Members are required to disclose any conflicts of interest, which are published on the CDC website. Meetings are also open to the public, typically livestreamed on the CDC website, and are open for public comment. "It's a very open and transparent process which leads to a body of individuals with different types of expertise," said Dr. Richard Besser, president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and former acting director of the CDC. "Pulling information from decades ago to disparage the ACIP was ludicrous." Can Americans still get vaccinated? Vaccine guidance regarding all the shots recommended for adults and children remains in place, for now, which means eligible patients should have access to these vaccines. But Dr. Tina Tan, a pediatric infectious disease physician and president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, said that may change as Kennedy appoints new members to the advisory committee. She fears the administration could walk back certain vaccine recommendations, similar to how Kennedy dropped COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for healthy children and pregnant women on May 27. Changing vaccine recommendations could impact how private insurance companies cover certain vaccines, Tan said, which could deter Americans from getting vaccinated and fuel outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases. ACIP also determines which vaccines are included in the Vaccines for Children program, which provides vaccines to children whose parents or guardians may not be able to afford them. Changes made to the program would be a "great concern for public health," Brewer said. It's also unclear if COVID-19 vaccines will be available in the fall, he said. The committee met in April to discuss the COVID-19 shot, among other vaccines, but Kennedy canceled the vote that would have made recommendations for the fall. ACIP is scheduled to meet again between June 25 and June 27 with its new committee members, according to the HHS statement. More details: RFK Jr. fires entire CDC vaccine advisory panel What parents should know Doctors and public health experts urge parents to continue discussing vaccine options with their pediatricians and primary care providers. Tan also said professional organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Medical Association are working together to ensure that children have access to vaccines despite possible changes to the recommendations. She encourages parents to look to these national organizations for guidance and support, and to vaccinate their children if they're not up to date with their shots. "They need to get up to date now, given the fact that access to vaccines at this moment shouldn't be an issue," she said. "The American public needs to understand that the federal agencies that were in place before... they're not going to be the same now." Adrianna Rodriguez can be reached at adrodriguez@
The Independent
2 days ago
- The Independent
David Bull: The doctor and former Most Haunted Live! presenter unveiled as new Reform UK chair
Dr David Bull has been unveiled as the new chairman of Reform UK after Zia Yusuf sensationally quit the role last week. The former doctor, and former deputy chair of the party, is a popular figure among members and first joined Nigel Farage 's team when he became an MEP for the Brexit Party in 2019. After the furore surrounding Mr Yusuf 's sudden departure as chairman of Reform - and subsequent return days later to run the party's Donald Trump-inspired DOGE cost-slashing unit - Mr Farage needed a replacement to run the party who could act as an internal diplomat. He will also need to persuade potential donors to part with their money, with Reform lagging behind the Tories, Labour and the Lib Dems in attracting financial support. This was another problem identified with the chairmanship of Mr Yusuf by his critics. Dr Bull fits the role as the former co-deputy leader has spent a lot of time supporting members and helping the party get up on its feet. But the NHS doctor-turned-TV presenter also has a colourful career, not least as the presenter of the paranormal TV show Most Haunted Live! The 56-year-old was born in London but grew up in rural Suffolk from the age of four before studying medicine at Imperial College. He studied at St Mary's Hospital Medical School at Imperial College London, graduating with a Bachelor of Medicine degree, a Bachelor of Surgery degree (MBBS) and a Bachelor of Science honours degree (BSc) in 1993. He gave up his medical career in 2009 as his television interests grew, although his licence was temporarily restored to allow him to help out in the Covid crisis in 2020. His career as a broadcaster began on Sky's Travel Show, and he later went on to present Newsround and a string of shows for the CBBC children's channel. Using his medical experience, he also presented shows offering advice, such as Call the Doctor. Dr Bull's interest in politics came quite early, running unsuccessfully as a candidate for the Conservative Party in Brighton Pavilion in 2010. But after the EU referendum in 2016, he joined Mr Farage's Brexit Party in 2019 and become an MEP for the North West of England. He has run unsuccessfully a number of times since as a candidate for the London Assembly and Suffolk West in 2024. Currently, he is a presenter on TalkTV and has remained active in Reform as deputy chairman.
NBC News
3 days ago
- NBC News
As ivermectin goes over the counter, some pharmacists worry about a lack of guidance
Boise, Idaho, pharmacist Matt Murray has no choice but to disappoint the handful of people who call him every day asking for a drug used to treat parasitic worms. He could give them the medication, called ivermectin, but only with a doctor's note. The callers aren't in the throes of an active intestinal worm infestation, Murray said. They simply want access to the pills without having to see a doctor first. 'A lot of people are calling, asking, 'Do you guys have it for sale? Can I buy it? How do I get it?'' said Murray, the director of operations for the independent Customedica Pharmacy. 'Not so much, 'How does it work? What is it for?'' The volume of such calls has increased sharply since mid-April, when Idaho Gov. Brad Little, a Republican, signed a bill into law mandating that ivermectin be available to anyone who wants it over the counter. While the law technically says that pharmacists like Murray can sell the drug over the counter, the Food and Drug Administration hasn't approved it to be used this way. 'I don't feel that we could just sell prescription ivermectin,' Murray said. 'It's not designed or packaged for retail sale.' That hasn't stopped frenzied social media claims about ivermectin's supposed 'miraculous' abilities to cure everything from Covid to cancer. 'Ivermectin eliminated the cancer on the skin of my shoulder and it only took 3 weeks,' one person wrote on X. 'It's also working wonders on my eczema,' another wrote on the platform. Ivermectin has never been formulated or labeled specifically for over-the-counter use, like aspirin or an antacid. Without proper guidance, there is concern that people could overdose on the medication. Interest in using drugs or experimental treatments in unapproved ways has gained steam with Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s appointment as head of the Department of Health and Human Services. Kennedy recently said on a podcast that people should have access to controversial alternative therapies like stem cells and chelation therapy to remove heavy metals from the body. The FDA has warned that neither should be used without oversight from a doctor. The hype has prompted lawmakers in 16 states, including Idaho, to propose and in some cases pass legislation to make the pills readily available for anyone without a prescription. While health insurance covers many prescription drugs, including ivermectin, it doesn't cover over-the-counter medicines. This year, two other GOP-led states — Arkansas and Tennessee — passed over-the-counter ivermectin laws. NBC News called 15 independent pharmacies in those states, plus Idaho, to ask whether pharmacists could provide ivermectin without a prescription. Not a single one said they'd sell the drug over the counter, despite the new laws. All, however, appeared to be sympathetic to the request. One pharmacist in Arkansas took the time to explain that he needed to wait until the FDA provided guidance on over-the-counter ivermectin. Until then, he and all the others said, over-the-counter access to ivermectin would have to wait. Pharmacists say that just because over-the-counter ivermectin is written into law doesn't mean it should be made available to anyone who asks for it. They still rely on federal health guidance. 'Most over-the-counter drugs, especially ones that were prescriptions at one point, go through some FDA approval process,' Murray said. 'In that process, it gets decided what the labeling is going to say,' including warnings and directions. Republican lawmakers in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and West Virginia have also proposed bills to make ivermectin available over the counter. Nearly all would simply permit health care providers and pharmacists to distribute ivermectin without a prescription. Most, like the one proposed in Alabama, would also protect pharmacists from any possible disciplinary action such as fines or license suspension from pharmacy licensing boards for dispensing it. Maine's proposed legislation specifically permits ivermectin to be sold to people who want to try it for Covid, cancer or the flu. Mississippi's bill would limit over-the-counter ivermectin to anyone 18 and older. The drug likely wouldn't be placed on store shelves, but be kept behind pharmacy counters, much like some cold medicines. Even if states do pass laws protecting pharmacists from disciplinary action, like the proposed legislation in Alabama, Murray said that he and his colleagues remain concerned. 'If you dispense something that doesn't have directions or safety precautions on it, who's ultimately liable if that causes harm?' Murray said. 'I don't know that I would want to assume that risk.' The Food and Drug Administration warns that taking large doses of ivermectin 'can be dangerous' and cause vomiting, diarrhea, low blood pressure, seizures, coma and even death. The drug could also interact with other medications like blood thinners, the FDA says. A spokeswoman for CVS Health said that while its pharmacies are able to dispense ivermectin with a prescription, they are 'not currently selling ivermectin over the counter' in any state. Walgreens declined to comment. What ivermectin is — and isn't Ivermectin was discovered by Japanese biochemist Satoshi Ōmura in the 1970s, first as a veterinary drug and then as a groundbreaking treatment for dangerous and disfiguring tropical diseases such as river blindness, as well as tapeworms, scabies and other worm-related infections. Hundreds of millions of people in mostly underdeveloped countries have used it safely with minimal side effects, such as fatigue or diarrhea, for decades. During the pandemic, the true benefit of the drug got twisted and distorted amid a social media frenzy. When mainstream doctors and scientists insisted that ivermectin didn't treat Covid, mostly conservative groups embraced it in direct opposition to public health officials. Podcaster Joe Rogan told his tens of millions of followers that ivermectin worked to cure him of Covid in 2021, prompting many people to seek out the drug as a way to treat mild or moderate cases of the virus. While there was early hope that ivermectin could ease Covid symptoms, it didn't treat respiratory viruses. It still doesn't. Ivermectin has also been touted as a cancer cure. On the same podcast, actor Mel Gibson claimed ivermectin had wiped out Stage 4 cancer in three of his friends. Gibson offered no proof. Some cancer patients believed the promises, with potentially devastating results. 'I tried that last year,' Scott Adams, the creator of the 'Dilbert' comic strip, wrote on X, 'to no effect.' Adams, a vocal Donald Trump supporter, revealed in May that he'd been diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer. 'There are claims of it working, but I am aware of no patient who benefitted from it.' Adams asked his social media followers to stop inundating him with advice to take ivermectin. Adams wrote that his 'odds of survival have probably jumped from zero to 30%' because he decided on a different treatment and will be 'working with top doctors in the field.' When one person pleaded with him in the comments not to discourage people from trying ivermectin, the cartoonist didn't play around: 'Your advice could kill people if they delay other treatments.' There's simply no evidence that ivermectin treats cancer, said Dr. Harold Burstein, a breast oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. He knows because he's looked for it, without success. Since the Rogan podcast featuring Gibson aired, Burstein has had an uptick in patients asking him about ivermectin. He scoured the medical literature looking for any shred of indication that the drug could be useful to his patients. 'There are exactly zero published clinical trials in a human being on whether ivermectin does or doesn't treat cancer,' Burstein said. 'I can assure you that if any oncologist in America had seen' a benefit to ivermectin, he said, 'they would have been eager to write it up.' Some scientists are indeed trying to figure out whether ivermectin has any impact on cancer outcomes. Researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles have begun a preliminary study combining ivermectin with an immunotherapy drug for patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer. Final results aren't expected anytime soon. Doctors tried to make ivermectin 'work' Ivermectin is manufactured in the U.S. by Merck. The company said in a statement that ivermectin should only be used within the approved FDA framework. 'The use of ivermectin is not supported beyond the doses and populations indicated in the regulatory agency-approved prescribing information,' a Merck spokesperson wrote in an email. Despite the growing push for over-the-counter ivermectin, there's no sales data available for how many people are buying the pills. Focusing on making ivermectin available without a doctor's prescription is the latest in a trend of mostly conservative politicians sidestepping expert medical advice. Utah and Florida, for example, recently banned community water fluoridation, despite decades of widespread evidence that it drastically reduces tooth decay. Dr. Hugh Cassiere, director of critical care services for South Shore University Hospital, part of Northwell Health in New York, said, 'This is about constituents who either heard, read or saw something on social media and now have an idea that this is something good. They're going right to their congressman or senator to demand access.' 'That's not how medicine should work,' he said. Scientists did, in fact, study whether ivermectin helped people with Covid. Dr. Adrian Hernandez, a cardiologist with the Duke Clinical Research Institute in Durham, North Carolina, led a large research project that ultimately showed ivermectin had no benefit in treating acute Covid. 'It's always great that legislators care about the health of the state,' Hernandez said. 'But ivermectin didn't help patients get better any faster.' Hernandez's study was posted on a preprint server called medRxiv in 2022. Studies posted on the site are considered preliminary because they haven't been peer-reviewed. A second 2022 paper published by the New England Journal of Medicine found that Covid patients treated with ivermectin weren't any less likely to be hospitalized than people who didn't get the drug. A third study that did suggest a benefit was later retracted because it contained fraudulent data, according to the publisher. None of this stopped many from demanding access to the drug. During the pandemic, hospitals reported a spike in patients who had been poisoned after taking veterinary-grade ivermectin intended for livestock. Two deaths in New Mexico were linked to the drug. Even the FDA warned that high doses of ivermectin can cause seizures, coma and death. 'You are not a horse. You are not a cow. Seriously, y'all. Stop it,' the FDA tweeted on Aug. 21, 2021. The controversial post was later deleted but can still be accessed through web archives. A Merck spokesperson said the drug shouldn't be used for anything other than clearing parasitic infestations. Northwell Health's Cassiere said medications, especially ivermectin, should only be used after talking with a qualified health care provider, no matter how politicians vote. 'If you're not an expert, if you did not go to medical school, nurse practitioner school, physician assistant school, and don't have the proper training, then you should not be recommending therapies outside of that expertise,' he said. 'Are you going to get a bank loan at the deli on the corner? I don't think so.'
