FDA to replace laid-off employees with contractors, sources say
Source: CBS News
April 11, 2025 / 9:13 PM EDT
The Food and Drug Administration is finalizing plans to replace some of the employees it laid off with contractors, three FDA officials tell CBS News, after steep cuts to the agency's workforce disrupted drug and food safety inspections. "Recent adjustments in staff numbers have created a heightened need for the FDA to be nimble, efficient and respond creatively, in order to continue and maintain FDA's regulatory inspection presence and the gold standard of excellence," agency officials wrote, in emails and draft contracting documents obtained by CBS News.
The contractors would effectively replace most of the work done by more than 50 laid-off federal employees who handled travel logistics and conducted oversight on spending for the agency's inspectors, said two FDA officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The plan was approved by FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary, one email said.
The move appears to contradict what laid-off workers supporting FDA's Office of Inspections and Investigations had been told in their layoff notices: that they were being let go because their work was "unnecessary or virtually identical to duties being performed elsewhere in the agency." Thousands of other health agency workers who were laid off last week by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s sweeping cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services received the same justification from the department.
"It's a waste," one laid-off FDA official said. "You already have employees who can come back, and can come in and make it run. But you're going to get someone to come in, train them? There's going to be delays. You're going to delay the whole process of safeguarding the American public"
Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fda-replace-laid-off-employees-contractors/
As a note, I expect most of what that group handled were the "foreign inspections". I.e., Investigators are issued and use State Department passports (the "red" ones, where they actually turn over their personal passports (if they have one), to that group). Then the trip planners help to get them to the various countries they will be traveling to (and arrange hotels/transportation, etc.) for what is often a 2 week (or more trip).
= new reply since forum marked as read
