STAT+: What stripping civil service protections for thousands of federal workers will mean for HHS

Thousands of Health and Human Services Department staff who shape policy, including on public health, federal health insurance programs, and health data privacy, have had their employment status changed to a designation that makes it easier for them to be fired, and thus makes them more vulnerable to political pressure from the White House.&#x A0; The reclassification of roughly 8,000 employees across the federal government, outlined in an executive order President&#x A0; Trump issued late Wednesday, also impacts some National Institutes of Health workers who oversee grant funding. On the whole, health policy experts said, the shift toward a more politicized workforce is part of a broader goal of the Trump administration to shift power away from Congress and toward the executive branch. The policy, known as “Schedule F,” dates back to Trump’s first administration and would create a new class of federal employees that are not political appointees, but could be fired at will.Continue to STAT+ to read the full story…