US Health Secretary Kennedy plans 10,000 agency job cuts, WSJ reports

PHOTO CAPTION: Illustrative photo of U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Reuters)

(Reuters) -U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is set to significantly cut the size of the agency, reducing about 10,000 full-time jobs and closing regional offices, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing documents.

Kennedy is set to announce the planned changes on Thursday, the report added.

The Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment.

The move involves removing 10,000 full-time employees spread across departments tasked with responding to disease outbreaks, approving new drugs, providing insurance for the poorest Americans and more, according to the WSJ report.

The jobs cuts come after roughly 10,000 employees have already opted to leave the department since President Trump took office, through voluntary separation offers, the report said.

The voluntary departures and the plan, if fully implemented, would result in the department shrinking to 62,000 federal health workers, the report added. 

 (Reporting by Sriparna Roy in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)