UPDATED July 15
Following a Supreme Court decision that lifted a district court order blocking widespread federal workforce cuts, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is laying off certain employees who were notified months ago of the reduction in force (RIF), an agency spokesperson confirmed to Fierce Biotech.
"Given the Supreme Court's ruling, HHS is now permitted to move forward with a portion of its RIF. Accordingly, you are hereby notified that you are officially separated from HHS at the close of business on July 14, 2025,” an agency email sent to affected employees on July 14 said.
“Thank you for your service to the American people,” the email concluded.
The spokesperson would not share how many employees received the July 14 email, instead pointing to HHS’ original March 27 plan to cut the agency’s workforce by 10,000 employees as part of a massive restructuring.
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Reported July 8
Supreme Court reopens floodgates for federal agency mass layoffs, agency restructurings
The Supreme Court is allowing the government to resume reductions in force (RIF) and agency restructurings, directly impacting workers at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
In May, a district judge from California granted a preliminary injunction against the Trump administration, barring departments from carrying out RIF plans or putting employees on administrative leave. The decision was promptly appealed (PDF). Now, SCOTUS agreed to a stay on the district court injunction, pending a decision by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
“The District Court enjoined further implementation or approval of the plans based on its view about the illegality of the Executive Order and Memorandum, not on any concurring assessment of the plans themselves,” the opinion (PDF) reads. “Those plans are not before this Court.”
Liberal Justice Ketanji Brown dissented, but a vote count was not released.
“In my view, this was the wrong decision at the wrong moment, especially given what little this Court knows about what is actually happening on the ground,” said Brown, before adding, “Put differently, from its lofty perch far from the facts or the evidence, this Court lacks the capacity to fully evaluate, much less responsibly override, reasoned lower court factfinding about what this challenged executive action actually entails.”
Liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor said that, while she agrees with Brown, the president is not able to restructure federal agencies without congressional approval, so she supports the stay on the injunction.
“The plans themselves are not before this Court, at this stage, and we thus have no occasion to consider whether they can and will be carried out consistent with the constraints of law,” she said in her concurring statement. “I join the Court’s stay because it leaves the District Court free to consider those questions in the first instance.”
Similarly, appeals by the Trump administration in other cases to reverse pauses on government firings of probationary employees have also been successful.
The Trump administration has endorsed plans to cut government employees by rolling out executive orders, internal agency memos and guidance, and supporting HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s reorganization strategy. Kennedy has said the agency has been trimmed by 20,000 workers, though an official tally is unclear as more workers are asked to return.
This lawsuit was brought by a collection of unions, non-profits and local governments. They argued the administration is unconstitutionally bypassing Congress through its RIF plans.
The order also applies to the Department of Veterans Affairs.