Latest news with #HHSReductioninForce
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Federal workers union says HHS layoffs ‘targeting science'
Labor unions say layoffs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) are threatening science even as some employees get their jobs back. In a statement released Friday, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) said the layoffs at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) 'gut frontline science and shut down life-saving public health programs.' While some staffers are being brought back, the union called this move a 'false choice.' 'The layoffs are not targeting inefficiency, they are targeting science,' said Yolanda Jacobs, president of AFGE Local 2883. 'Public health researchers and frontline scientists are being thrown out of their jobs while the country faces growing environmental, occupational, and public health crises.' Earlier this week, roughly 300 NIOSH employees were rehired by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. In a budget hearing before the House Appropriations Committee, Kennedy assured Rep. Riley Moore ( whose district was impacted by the layoffs, that key NIOSH programs would continue. Some NIOSH employees in Cincinnati and the World Trade Center were also rehired. The AFGE is calling the rehirings a 'zero-sum game' because HHS apparently told employees that an equivalent number of CDC staffers would be cut to 'offset' the decision. The layoffs encompassed 10,000 employees who were fired and 10,000 more who chose the Trump administration's 'fork in the road' deferred resignation offer. According to the AFGE, more than 1,500 CDC employees and 90 percent of NIOSH staffers were targeted by the HHS Reduction in Force. Despite what Kennedy told lawmakers this week, the AFGE stated many NIOSH programs remain defunded or disrupted including those that focus on 'toxicology research, chemical hazard risk assessment, and surveillance of high-risk industries.' The union is demanding that all laid off employees be restored and that all program funding be refunded. It also wants an end to retaliatory or offsetting layoffs; and direct engagement with union leadership prior to any forthcoming restructuring. 'Secretary Kennedy has been working hard to ensure that the critical functions under NIOSH remain intact. The Trump Administration is committed to supporting coal miners and firefighters, and under the Secretary's leadership, NIOSH's essential services will continue as HHS streamlines its operations. Ensuring the health and safety of our workforce remains a top priority for the Department,' and HHS spokesperson told The Hill. The spokesperson further noted that a temporary restraining order recently issued by a federal judge currently bars HHS from laying off any employees. Updated at 6:02 p.m. EDT Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
16-05-2025
- Health
- The Hill
Federal workers union says HHS layoffs ‘targeting science'
Labor unions say layoffs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) are threatening science even as some employees get their jobs back. In a statement released Friday, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) said the layoffs at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) 'gut frontline science and shut down life-saving public health programs.' While some staffers are being brought back, the union called this move a 'false choice.' 'The layoffs are not targeting inefficiency, they are targeting science,' Yolanda Jacobs, president of AFGE Local 2883, said. 'Public health researchers and frontline scientists are being thrown out of their jobs while the country faces growing environmental, occupational, and public health crises.' Earlier this week, roughly 300 NIOSH employees were rehired by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. In a budget hearing before the House Appropriations Committee, Kennedy assured Rep. Riley Moore ( whose district was impacted by the layoffs, that key NIOSH programs would continue. Some NIOSH employees in Cincinnati and the World Trade Center were also rehired. The AFGE is calling the rehirings a 'zero-sum game' because HHS apparently told employees that an equivalent number of CDC staffers would be cut in order to 'offset' the decision. The layoffs encompassed 10,000 employees who were fired and 10,000 more who chose the Trump administration's 'fork in the road' deferred resignation offer. According to the AFGE, more than 1,500 CDC employees and 90 percent of NIOSH staffers were targeted by the HHS Reduction in Force. Despite what Kennedy told lawmakers this week, the AFGE stated many NIOSH programs remain defunded or disrupted including those that focus on 'toxicology research, chemical hazard risk assessment, and surveillance of high-risk industries.' The union is demanding that all laid off employees be restored and that all program funding be refunded. It also wants an end to retaliatory or offsetting layoffs; and direct engagement with union leadership prior to any forthcoming restructuring. The Hill has reached out to HHS for comment.
CNN
02-04-2025
- Health
- CNN
FDA delays full approval of Novavax Covid-19 vaccine even though it was on track for clearance
The US Food and Drug Administration has delayed granting full approval of Novavax's Covid-19 vaccine despite it being on track to be cleared until Tuesday afternoon, a person familiar with the situation told CNN. The agency is seeking more data on the vaccine, said the source, who declined to be named because they weren't authorized to speak publicly about the situation. The Wall Street Journal first reported that the FDA had missed its decision deadline. The move came as the FDA named Dr. Scott Steele acting director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, which oversees vaccine regulation, days after former director Dr. Peter Marks was forced out. In his resignation letter, Marks cited 'efforts being advanced by some on the adverse health effects of vaccination' that he called 'concerning.' US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime anti-vaccine advocate, has falsely called vaccines for Covid-19 'the deadliest vaccine ever made' and more recently made misleading statements about the safety of the measles vaccine amid a deadly outbreak centered in West Texas. The Novavax vaccine, which uses more traditional protein-based technology than the newer mRNA vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna, has been subject to emergency use authorization since 2022. But with FDA action, it would be the third vaccine against Covid-19 to receive full FDA approval. Full approval would make the vaccine available beyond an emergency declaration and could provide additional reassurance to people seeking the vaccine. The company said Wednesday that it hadn't received an official decision from the FDA but that April 1 was the date by which the agency had been set to issue the decision. 'As of Tuesday, April 1, we had responded to all of the FDA's information requests and we believe that our [Biologics License Application] is ready for approval,' Novavax said in a statement, noting that the application 'included robust Phase 3 clinical trial data that showed our vaccine is safe and effective for the prevention of Covid-19.' 'We are confident our well-tolerated vaccine represents an important alternative to mRNA Covid-19 vaccines for the US,' Novavax said. The FDA's press office was put on administrative leave Tuesday as part of the HHS Reduction in Force effort. A spokesman for HHS told CNN, 'The FDA's independent review process for the Novavax vaccine, like all vaccines is based solely on ensuring safety and efficacy, not political considerations. Any delays are a result of scientific review.'
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
FDA delays full approval of Novavax Covid-19 vaccine even though it was on track for clearance
The US Food and Drug Administration has delayed granting full approval of Novavax's Covid-19 vaccine despite it being on track to be cleared until Tuesday afternoon, a person familiar with the situation told CNN. The agency is seeking more data on the vaccine, said the source, who declined to be named because they weren't authorized to speak publicly about the situation. The Wall Street Journal first reported that the FDA had missed its decision deadline. The move came as the FDA named Dr. Scott Steele acting director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, which oversees vaccine regulation, days after former director Dr. Peter Marks was forced out. In his resignation letter, Marks cited 'efforts being advanced by some on the adverse health effects of vaccination' that he called 'concerning.' US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime anti-vaccine advocate, has falsely called vaccines for Covid-19 'the deadliest vaccine ever made' and more recently made misleading statements about the safety of the measles vaccine amid a deadly outbreak centered in West Texas. The Novavax vaccine, which uses more traditional protein-based technology than the newer mRNA vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna, has been subject to emergency use authorization since 2022. But with FDA action, it would be the third vaccine against Covid-19 to receive full FDA approval. Full approval would make the vaccine available beyond an emergency declaration and could provide additional reassurance to people seeking the vaccine. The company said Wednesday that it hadn't received an official decision from the FDA but that April 1 was the date by which the agency had been set to issue the decision. 'As of Tuesday, April 1, we had responded to all of the FDA's information requests and we believe that our [Biologics License Application] is ready for approval,' Novavax said in a statement, noting that the application 'included robust Phase 3 clinical trial data that showed our vaccine is safe and effective for the prevention of Covid-19.' 'We are confident our well-tolerated vaccine represents an important alternative to mRNA Covid-19 vaccines for the US,' Novavax said. The FDA's press office was put on administrative leave Tuesday as part of the HHS Reduction in Force effort. A spokesman for HHS told CNN, 'The FDA's independent review process for the Novavax vaccine, like all vaccines is based solely on ensuring safety and efficacy, not political considerations. Any delays are a result of scientific review.'
CNN
02-04-2025
- Health
- CNN
FDA delays full approval of Novavax Covid-19 vaccine even though it was on track for clearance
The US Food and Drug Administration has delayed granting full approval of Novavax's Covid-19 vaccine despite it being on track to be cleared until Tuesday afternoon, a person familiar with the situation told CNN. The agency is seeking more data on the vaccine, said the source, who declined to be named because they weren't authorized to speak publicly about the situation. The Wall Street Journal first reported that the FDA had missed its decision deadline. The move came as the FDA named Dr. Scott Steele acting director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, which oversees vaccine regulation, days after former director Dr. Peter Marks was forced out. In his resignation letter, Marks cited 'efforts being advanced by some on the adverse health effects of vaccination' that he called 'concerning.' US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime anti-vaccine advocate, has falsely called vaccines for Covid-19 'the deadliest vaccine ever made' and more recently made misleading statements about the safety of the measles vaccine amid a deadly outbreak centered in West Texas. The Novavax vaccine, which uses more traditional protein-based technology than the newer mRNA vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna, has been subject to emergency use authorization since 2022. But with FDA action, it would be the third vaccine against Covid-19 to receive full FDA approval. Full approval would make the vaccine available beyond an emergency declaration and could provide additional reassurance to people seeking the vaccine. The company said Wednesday that it hadn't received an official decision from the FDA but that April 1 was the date by which the agency had been set to issue the decision. 'As of Tuesday, April 1, we had responded to all of the FDA's information requests and we believe that our [Biologics License Application] is ready for approval,' Novavax said in a statement, noting that the application 'included robust Phase 3 clinical trial data that showed our vaccine is safe and effective for the prevention of Covid-19.' 'We are confident our well-tolerated vaccine represents an important alternative to mRNA Covid-19 vaccines for the US,' Novavax said. The FDA's press office was put on administrative leave Tuesday as part of the HHS Reduction in Force effort. A spokesman for HHS told CNN, 'The FDA's independent review process for the Novavax vaccine, like all vaccines is based solely on ensuring safety and efficacy, not political considerations. Any delays are a result of scientific review.'
