HHS offers $25,000 buyout offers to majority of its 80,000 employees

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has extended a $25,000 buyout offer to the majority of its 80,000 employees, aiming to reduce the federal workforce in line with President Donald J. Trump’s budgetary directives.

The buyout proposal was sent to a “broad population of HHS employees” via email. HHS agencies include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Employees can begin opting into the voluntary separation program today, Monday, March 10. They have until 5 p.m. on Friday, March 14, to respond.

HHS, which operates with an annual budget of approximately $1.7 trillion, is responsible for overseeing major health care programs like Medicare and Medicaid. The department’s workforce is integral to disease research, food safety inspections and the administration of public health services.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has previously indicated intentions to streamline the agency’s operations. The Associated Press reports that Kennedy mentioned plans to remove certain employees from the nation’s public health agencies in an interview last month.

“I have a list in my head,” Kennedy said, adding that some workers “made really bad decisions” regarding nutrition guidelines.

This buyout initiative is part of broader efforts by the Trump administration to curtail federal spending, with the help of billionaire Elon Musk and the administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Following President Trump’s inauguration in January, most federal employees received “deferred resignation” offers, which 75,000 federal workers — less 5% of the federal workforce — accepted. Thousands of probationary employees across HHS were also informed last month that they would be fired.

In February, employees of the Social Security Administration were offered similar buyouts of $15,000 to $25,000.

HHS employees considering the buyout offer are instructed to contact their local human resources office to proceed with the voluntary separation process.