TIME FOR A HEADS UP
How Are You Impacted?
Heads Up, People!
In April 2025, Elon Musk’s new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) laid off approximately 3,500 employees from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Among them were around 20 staffers from the Office of Neurological and Physical Medicine Devices—the team responsible for reviewing clinical trials for Musk’s own company, Neuralink.
The result? Neuralink is now operating with no FDA oversight for its clinical trials.
That’s not all.
More than 800 employees were cut from the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, the very division tasked with new drug approvals and post-market safety surveillance. These deep cuts have raised serious concerns about conflicts of interest, considering Musk’s dual role as regulator and regulated.
The rooster is now guarding the henhouse.
And the implications? Profound.
What Else Was Cut?
The Milk Quality Testing Program, which screened for pathogens like avian flu (H5N1), is suspended. That "Grade A" label on your milk? It may no longer mean what you think.
Will you serve it to your children or grandchildren?
Planning a cruise this summer?
The entire full-time staff of the Vessel Sanitation Program, which inspects cruise ships for food safety and disease prevention, has been let go. Just 12 part-time Public Health Services officers remain to oversee inspections and respond to potential outbreaks.
If you’re cruising, check your ship’s sanitation record. The CDC strongly recommends it.
Job Losses by Health Agency:
FDA: 3,500 – Food and Drug Administration
CDC: 2,400 – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
NIH: 1,200 – National Institutes of Health
CMS: 300 – Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (customer service and support)
HRSA: 30% staff reduction – Health Resources and Services Administration
NIOSH: Over two-thirds of staff – National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
ASPR: Majority of 5,000 laid off – Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response
And What About Us?
Thousands of dedicated professionals are now out of work. Many will turn to unemployment, further straining the economy. With a job market already tightening under Trump’s dangerous, foolish, and misguided economic directives, finding new employment won't be easy.
COBRA health insurance is notoriously expensive. Local small businesses, supported by these workers' spending, will suffer. This isn't just about federal budgets, it’s about real lives, real families.
The Bigger Picture
Elon Musk and Donald Trump appear to be executing a strategy that dismantles key functions of our government
and at the same time destabilizes our economy. But to what end?
Cuts this deep aren’t numbers on a spreadsheet. They affect the food we eat, the medications we take, and the health protections we count on. Are you impacted yet?
Stay informed. Stay vigilant. Our public systems matter now more than ever.