Judge Blocks Layoffs at U.S. Health Department

Key Takeaways

• A judge ruled layoffs at U.S. Health and Human Services were likely unlawful and blocked anymore cuts

• Over 10,000 jobs were cut, including key health roles at the Centers for Disease Control and Food and Drug Administration

• States say the move harmed public health and pushed extra costs onto them

WEDNESDAY, July 2, 2025 (HealthDay News) — A federal judge has stopped the Trump administration from implementing more layoffs at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), saying the job cuts likely went against the law.

The decision came Tuesday from U.S. District Judge Melissa DuBose in response to a lawsuit filed by attorneys general from 19 states and the District of Columbia, The Associated Press reported.

DuBose said the layoffs caused “irreparable harm” and were likely “arbitrary and capricious.”

“The executive branch does not have the authority to order, organize, or implement wholesale changes to the structure and function of the agencies created by Congress,” she added in her 58-page order.

Her ruling blocks any more layoffs or changes to the agency’s structure while the lawsuit continues. HHS must report back to the court by July 11.

In a statement, HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon said, “We stand by our original decision to realign this organization with its core mission and refocus a sprawling bureaucracy that, over time, had become wasteful, inefficient and resistant to change."

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had already cut more than 10,000 workers in March and merged 28 agencies into 15 as part of the administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” plan, The AP said.

Some layoffs were reversed after public outcry, including CDC cuts that affected workers tracking HIV, hepatitis and other serious diseases.

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Tuesday’s court ruling applies to workers in four key areas of HHS: the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; the Center for Tobacco Products within the Food and Drug Administration; the Office of Head Start within the Administration for Children and Families and employees of regional offices who work on Head Start matters; and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, The AP said.

In their lawsuit, state leaders said the cuts stripped away crucial services and pushed unnecessary costs onto states.

DuBose agreed, writing that states lost access to “funds, guidance, research, screenings, compliance oversight, data, and, importantly, the expertise and guidance on which they have long relied.”

At a Senate hearing in May, Kennedy said there was “so much chaos and disorganization” inside HHS, The AP noted. He conceded that mistakes had been made — and that up to 20% of fired workers might be reinstated.

More information

Learn more about the role of the U.S. Health and Human Services Department.

SOURCE: The Associated Press, July 2, 2025

What This Means For You

Massive federal health worker layoffs could impact programs that protect your health. This ruling pauses those cuts — for now.