NTEU Statement on Mass Firings at HHS

America’s public health system is in crisis today as the Trump administration conducts a mass firing of the people who have committed their careers to advancements to science, research, medicine and safety. What exactly is efficient about unilaterally firing civil servants charged with providing support for those facing addiction? How is this administration best serving the American people through the wholesale shuttering of agencies tasked with ensuring the stability of families or discovering new pharmaceutical drugs to treat critical illnesses?

These are not faceless bureaucrats whose ID badges were deactivated and unceremoniously told they were no longer needed. These are people responsible for supporting women and infants in those critical first few months after birth. These are people who staff community health centers in rural areas. What purpose does it serve to tell Americans responsible for our national organ and transplant system that their jobs have no value? Tell that to the Americans in dire need of new organs.

It is no accident that, shortly after the Trump administration on Thursday illegally stripped thousands of HHS employees of collective bargaining rights, it then quickly moved on Tuesday to initiate a groundless reduction-in-force that indiscriminately sends thousands of dedicated civil servants to the unemployment lines.

If allowed to stand, these layoffs will harm our nation’s public health infrastructure in every community for generations to come. That is why NTEU is fighting back in the courts, on the Hill, and across America to protect these employees, their jobs, and the life-saving services they provide to the country. And make no mistake, these reductions in force are not a “D.C. issue.” The lifesaving services offered by the Administration for Children and Families, Food and Drug Administration, and other agencies have a national impact. This shortsighted action by the administration will have long-term repercussions across the nation for years to come.