Thousands of employees across the vast Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) began receiving layoff notices as early as 5 a.m. on Tuesday.

The purge comes on the heels of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. forcing out a top vaccine official late last week. Entire divisions were axed across multiple agencies, including much of the Food and Drug Administration’s communications and media affairs staff.

In total, the layoffs are anticipated to impact as many as 10,000 staffers, part of the agency restructuring plan publicly announced late last week. The layoffs will touch every aspect of the agency.

According to some notices seen by The Hill, HHS Chief Human Capital Officer Tom Nagy stated the reduction in force (RIF) would go into effect on June 30.

Nagy wrote that employees would be “be ranked on a retention register based on tenure, veterans’ preference, length of service, and performance ratings.”

Some employees who received notices were told to contact Anita Pinder, former director of the Office of Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights, if they believed they were being discriminated against. Pinder died last year.

Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) union, called the mass layoffs at HHS “dangerous, irresponsible, and unacceptable.”

“Cutting 10,000 critical public health jobs puts every American at risk — weakening our defenses against disease outbreaks, unsafe medications, and contaminated food,” said Kelley. “Congress and citizens must join us in pushing back. Our health, safety, and security depend on a strong, fully staffed public health system.”

Here are four takeaways as President Trump’s sprawling cuts to the federal government descend on health agencies.

Sprawling cuts range from top officials to rank-and-file

The top officials overseeing new drug reviews and tobacco safety were all part of deep cuts to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The........

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