The FDA has started reversing termination notices for some employees who were laid off, asking them to return to work after mass firings a week ago. The affected employees, considered probationary, began receiving calls from the FDA’s human resources department on Friday evening and Saturday morning. The agency informed these employees that they would regain computer and network access by Monday. Some of the calls were directed to former employees in the Center for Devices and Radiological Health, which oversees medical devices and digital health products. This center was significantly impacted by layoffs, drawing immediate backlash from the device industry. It remains unclear how many terminations will be reversed as some FDA employees are required to return to the office starting Monday. The FDA and the US Department of Health and Human Services have not yet responded to requests for comment. The recalls follow the termination of thousands of federal employees in response to President Donald Trump’s executive order to reduce the federal workforce. Layoffs across government agencies, including health organizations like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, began shortly after the order. The FDA’s termination notices targeted workers under a probationary period, stating they were “not fit for continued employment” due to a mismatch in “ability, knowledge, and skills” with the agency’s current needs, according to an email from acting chief human capital officer Jeffery Anoka obtained by Bloomberg Law. The emails informed employees they would be placed on administrative leave and receive four weeks of pay. — news from Bloomberg Law
