US moves to end job protections for hundreds of health department workers

Source: Reuters

By Ahmed Aboulenein
May 15, 2026 4:34 PM EDT

WASHINGTON, May 15 (Reuters) - The Trump administration moved on Friday to strip hundreds of senior U.S. Department of ​Health and Human Services employees of civil service job protections, according ‌to an email reviewed by Reuters.

HHS employees at several agencies received the email, which said members of their teams would have their jobs reclassified. The change means they ​can be fired at will. Previously, they could only be ​fired for cause and had appeal rights.

The move is in ⁠line with an overhaul announced by the administration in February of the ​government's civil service system.

The overhaul gives the president more power to hire ​and fire up to 50,000 career federal employees who are being reclassified from Schedule F to Schedule Policy/Career.

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Read more: https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/us-moves-end-job-protections-hundreds-health-department-workers-2026-05-15/