White House preparing to cut thousands of health employees: Report

The White House is drafting an executive order to lay off thousands of employees from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), according to a report Thursday.

The order would require agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to reduce their workforce by a set percentage, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources familiar with the plans.

It could be issued as early as next week, following a buyout offer for affected employees. The details of the order, however, have not been finalized and the White House may decide against moving forward.

The potential job cuts would affect HHS, which employs more than 80,000 people, including those at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), in addition to the FDA and CDC.

Meanwhile, CNN reported that at least 50,000 federal workers have enrolled in the deferred resignation program, which allows them to leave their jobs while continuing to receive pay through the end of September.

The program was offered to roughly 2 million federal employees, with a deadline to opt in by 11.59 p.m. local time (0459GMT) Thursday.

But a federal judge temporarily halted the deadline, allowing more time for legal proceedings on the program's validity, said the network.

The government will notify affected employees that the deadline has been put on hold.