HHS to Brief House Panel After Widespread Layoffs

Department of Health and Human Services staffers will brief members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee about the agency's mass layoffs under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., The Hill reports.

Democrats on the panel are demanding a hearing on efforts to downsize the agency's workforce by as many as 20,000 staffers be attended by Kennedy himself, but the Hill reports that Republicans have committed only to holding a briefing with agency staffers.

A spokesperson for Democrats on the panel said in a statement on Thursday that "Democrats haven't been invited to attend" the staff briefing.

"We're read­ing about it in the press like every­one else," the spokesperson added, "which is why it's im­por­tant we hold a pub­lic hear­ing with Sec­re­tary Kennedy so we can get some re­al an­swers."

The ranking Democrat on the panel's Health subcommittee, Rep. Diana DeGette of Colorado, said in a statement on Thursday that "a briefing is the bare minimum that Secretary Kennedy can offer."

She added, "Instead, he would reportedly send staff rather than do it himself. While a staff briefing is better than nothing, it has not been scheduled, and there is no assurance that it will be bipartisan."

A spokesperson for Guthrie said in a statement that Democrats were "politi­ciz­ing over­sight ef­forts" and denied that they were not informed of the meeting.

The Senate Health, Ed­u­ca­tion, La­bor and Pen­sions Committee will hold a public hearing on the layoffs, according to Endpoints News.

• Layoffs Begin at US Health Agencies
• Where Jobs, Programs Were Cut at Health Agencies