成人X站

WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� Weeks after ordering Food and Drug Administration employees back into the office, the agency is reversing course, allowing some of its most prized staffers to work remotely amid worries that recent layoffs and resignations could jeopardize basic functions, like approving new medicines.

An internal email obtained by The Associated Press states that FDA leadership are 鈥渁llowing review staff and supervisors to resume telework鈥� at least two days a week. The policy shift was confirmed by three FDA staffers who spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal agency matters.

The message was sent Tuesday to some of FDA鈥檚 hundreds of drug reviewers. Staffers said a similar policy was communicated to reviewers who handle vaccines, biotech drugs and medical devices, although not necessarily in writing.

It鈥檚 the latest example of the Trump administration鈥檚 chaotic approach to overhauling the federal health workforce, which has included firings, a scramble to rehire some employees, and then additional layoffs last week of an estimated 3,400 staffers, or more than 15% of the agency鈥檚 workforce.

Last week’s cuts included entire offices focusing on FDA policy and regulations, most of the agency鈥檚 communication staff and teams that support food inspectors and investigators. Senior officials overseeing tobacco, new drugs, vaccines and other products have also been dismissed or forced to resign. Staffers have described lower level employees as 鈥減ouring鈥� out of the agency.

Former FDA Commissioner Dr. David Kessler called the cuts “devastating, haphazard, thoughtless and chaotic” during a House hearing on Wednesday.

When Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced plans to eliminate 10,000 staffers across the federal health workforce, he noted out that FDA medical reviewers and safety inspectors wouldn’t be impacted. HHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday evening.

In February, HHS was forced to recall some probationary employees who were fired, including hundreds of medical reviewers at FDA, who are largely funded by industry fees, not federal dollars.

But last week鈥檚 cuts combined with resignations and retirements have raised a new threat: that FDA funding could fall so low that it short circuits a long-standing system in which companies help fund much of the agency’s operations.

Nearly half the FDA’s $7 billion budget comes from fees collected from drug, device and tobacco companies. The agency uses the money to hire thousands of staffers to quickly and efficiently review new products. For example, about 70% of the FDA鈥檚 drug program is financed by user-fee agreements, which must be reauthorized by Congress every five years.

But the agreements stipulate that if FDA鈥檚 federal funding falls below set levels, companies are no longer required to pay and, in some cases, can claw back their money. The requirements are designed to ensure Congress continues funding FDA, rather than relying entirely on the private sector.

FDA and industry groups are supposed to begin negotiations later this year to renew several user-fee agreements, including those for drugs and devices.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think the agency nor regulated industry can afford for 鈥榰ser fees鈥� not to be reauthorized,鈥� said Michael Gaba, an attorney who advises FDA-regulated companies.

Whatever the reasoning behind the telework shift, former federal officials say it鈥檚 a sign that recently confirmed FDA CommissionerMarty Makary is trying to retain and rebuild agency staffing. Makary made his first appearance at FDA’s headquarters last Wednesday, one day after the mass layoffs.

鈥淒r. Makary needs to rebuild teams and restart the engine of productivity lost to weeks of job insecurity, uncertainty and shortages of team members,鈥� said Steven Grossman, a former HHS official. 鈥淭urning commuting time back into work time is a great first step in achieving both.鈥�

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute鈥檚 Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.