Executive Order Targets Federal Unions
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on March 27 granting himself authority to end collective bargaining across federal unions. This action came just hours after Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the department could expect 10,000 job cuts in upcoming days.
The executive order specifically targets unions with “national security missions,” impacting workers at numerous federal agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Department of Veterans Affairs, and many others. The order justifies these actions by claiming current collective bargaining agreements allow “hostile” unions to block departmental agendas.
Union Response and Legal Challenges
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), one of the largest government labor unions and frequent legal opponent of Trump during his second term, called the announcement a “clear threat” to its members and all Americans.
“AFGE is preparing immediate legal action and will fight relentlessly to protect our rights, our members and all working Americans from these unprecedented attacks,” said AFGE President Everett Kelley in a statement.
Massive HHS Job Cuts Announced
Simultaneously with the executive order, HHS announced plans to slash 10,000 full-time jobs as part of the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) “workforce optimization” efforts. These cuts are projected to save the agency $1.8 billion annually. Combined with early retirements and previous workforce reduction initiatives, the agency’s total headcount will decrease by 20,000 employees.
Secretary Kennedy defended the cuts, claiming good employees are hindered by bureaucracy within an agency whose budget grew by 38% during the Biden administration.
Agency-Specific Impact
The cuts will affect multiple agencies within HHS:
- Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS): Approximately 300 positions eliminated
- Food and Drug Administration (FDA): 3,500 workers to be let go
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): 2,400 employees terminated
- National Institutes of Health (NIH): Reduction of 1,200 workers
HHS claims these cuts will focus on reducing administrative redundancies rather than affecting frontline services.
Departmental Restructuring
Beyond the workforce reductions, HHS announced plans to consolidate 28 redundant offices into 15 new divisions and reduce regional offices from ten to five. Kennedy criticized the current structure, claiming there are “more than 100 communications offices, more than 40 IT offices, a dozen procurement offices and nine human resource departments—all operating in silos without communicating together.”
As part of the reorganization, HHS will create a new Administration for a Healthy America (AHA), focusing on human resources, IT, procurement, external affairs, and policy. This new entity will combine several existing offices to improve coordination of health resources for low-income Americans.
Democratic Opposition
Democratic lawmakers have strongly condemned both the executive order and the HHS cuts. Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon warned: “American families are going to be hurt by layoffs and closures of this magnitude, full stop. These offices work closely with communities to make sure child care, hospitals and nursing homes are safe, strengthen rural health care, and much more.”
Former HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra called the cuts “the makings of a manmade disaster,” while Senator Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin accused the administration of “endangering your family’s health to make more room in the budget for their billionaire tax breaks.”
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