Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suggested on Thursday that thousands of layoffs by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency would be reversed.
As many as 10,000 notices were sent to employees of HHS this week informing them that their jobs were being eliminated, as part of a restructuring plan that would cut about a quarter of its workforce.
Kennedy on Thursday acknowledged that mistakes had been made, including the elimination of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's entire Lead Poisoning Prevention and Surveillance Branch.
"Personnel that should not have been cut, were cut. We're reinstating them," he told reporters during a visit to an elementary school in Virginia.
Kennedy added that the Trump administration knew that some people would have to be reinstated after being terminated by mistake.
"That was always the plan. Part of the DOGE, we talked about this from the beginning, is we're going to do 80 percent cuts, but 20 percent of those are going to have to be reinstated, because we'll make mistakes. And one of the things that President Trump has said is that if we make mistakes, we're going to admit it and we're going to remedy it."
A spokesperson for HHS told Newsweek: "HHS is planning to continue the important work of the lead poisoning prevention and surveillance branch that works to eliminate childhood lead poisoning under the Administration for a Healthy America.
"All employees affected by the reduction in force may be asked to temporarily work until their government service ends on June 2. This decision is focused on ensuring that the transition is as seamless as possible, minimizing any disruption to the agency's mission and operations. HHS fully supports this approach, which aims to maintain public health services while managing the reorganization process effectively."
They did not answer questions on how many laid-off employees or which other programs would be reinstated.
How Many Jobs Has DOGE Cut So Far?
Tens of thousands of job losses have been announced across numerous federal agencies.
Layoffs are underway at the Department of Health and Human Services, which had initially announced that it would eliminate 10,000 jobs as part of a major restructuring plan.
The Environmental Protection Agency plans to eliminate its scientific research office and could fire more than 1,000 scientists and other employees, according to the Associated Press.
It has also been reported that the Internal Revenue Service plans to lose about 18,000 employees—about 20 percent of its workforce. Meanwhile, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy told Congress that 10,000 workers at the United States Postal Service would be cut.
The Department of Education has announced plans to lay off more than 1,300 employees, while the Department of Veterans Affairs is planning a reorganization that includes cutting 80,000 jobs, according to an internal memo obtained by the AP in March.
The Pentagon reportedly plans to cut its civilian workforce by about 50,000 to 60,000 people.
At least 24,000 probationary workers have been terminated since Trump took office, according to a lawsuit filed by nearly 20 states alleging the mass firings are illegal. In March, two federal judges ordered 19 federal agencies to reinstate fired probationary workers.
Meanwhile, about 75,000 federal workers accepted the offer to quit in return for receiving pay and benefits until September 30.
How Much Spending Has DOGE Cut So Far?
DOGE has said its efforts have saved the federal government an estimated $140 billion as of March 30. Elon Musk, who heads the department, initially said his goal was to trim $2 trillion from the federal budget but backtracked in January, saying there was a "good shot" of cutting half that amount.
DOGE says the receipts provided on its website—showing contract, grant, and lease cancellations—represent about 30 percent of total savings, meaning the top-line figure is not yet verifiable.
According to the Musk Watch DOGE Tracker designed by data analyst Brian Banks, the verifiable savings were about $7.7 billion as of March 25, including actual savings from contracts and real estate. The tracker says grants are unlabeled and cannot be verified.
Is DOGE a Government Agency?
Trump signed an executive order on his first day back in office on January 20, officially creating DOGE to modernize "federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity."
Despite its name, it is not a government agency created by an Act of Congress but a task force that targets waste and fraud in the federal government.
