Kennedy remains quiet on 10,000 jobs lost at the nation's top health department

Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. walks to the House Chamber before President Donald Trump addresses to a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. offered no new details Wednesday about his massive restructuring of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the day after thousands of layoffs ricocheted through its agencies, hollowing out entire offices around the country in some cases.

Kennedy’s silence is prompting questions from Republican and Democratic lawmakers alike, with a bipartisan request for President Donald Trump’s health secretary to appear before a Senate committee next week to explain the cuts.

As many as 10,000 notices were sent to scientists, senior leaders, doctors, inspectors and others across the department in an effort to cut a quarter of its workforce. The agency itself has offered no specifics on which jobs have been eliminated, with the information instead coming largely from employees who have been dismissed.