National Institutes of Health lays off hundreds more staff, including at cancer research institute [View all]
Source: CBS News
Updated on: May 5, 2025 / 4:25 PM EDT
The National Institutes of Health has laid off hundreds more staff, multiple current and laid-off employees of the health agency told CBS News, including at its cancer research institute. Around 200 employees began receiving layoff notices Friday evening, said three people who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The move surprised NIH officials, since the department previously claimed no further cuts were planned at the agency. "We thought the worst was behind us, and we were transitioning into this new phase, and the rug was just pulled out from underneath us," one laid-off employee said.
A spokesperson for the NIH did not comment on why NIH Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya sought the additional layoffs, referring an inquiry to the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the NIH. An HHS spokesperson said that, after a review, the department had notified additional employees that they were "also impacted" by the layoffs plan announced in March.
Fewer than 250 employees at the department received notices, the spokesperson said. An HHS official said that "the same number of employees will be brought back in critical areas" elsewhere at the department. Two people said they had been told that the second round of cuts was done as part of an effort to compensate for other scientists needing to be reinstated, in order to comply with layoff targets.
Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nih-lays-off-hundreds-more-staff-cancer-research-institute/
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