WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� Barely a week after , some probationary staffers received unexpected news over the weekend: The government wants them back.
Beginning Friday night, FDA employees overseeing medical devices and other key areas received calls and emails notifying them that their recent terminations had been 鈥渞escinded effective immediately,鈥� according to messages viewed by The Associated Press.
Three FDA staffers impacted by the decisions spoke with the AP on condition of anonymity because they planned to continue working for the agency and weren鈥檛 authorized to discuss its internal procedures.
The reversal is the latest example of President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk's to cost-cutting, which has resulted in several agencies firing, and then , employees responsible for , and other government services.
The FDA reinstatements followed pushback by lobbyists for the medical device industry, which pays the agency hundreds of millions of dollars annually to hire extra scientists to promptly review products. The industry's leading trade group said Monday 鈥渁 sizeable number鈥� of device reviewers would apparently be returning to FDA.
鈥淭his would be welcome news, and I appreciate the administration for acting quickly,鈥� AdvaMed CEO Scott Whitaker said in an emailed statement. 鈥淲e all share the same goal 鈥� an efficient, effective FDA review process that helps advance the medical technologies American patients depend on.鈥�
FDA staffers said entire teams of five or more medical device reviewers had been reinstated. There did not appear to be a similar effort to rehire staffers in other parts of the agency, including its food and tobacco centers.
The agency hasn鈥檛 released official numbers on the terminations, but former FDA officials have pegged the number at roughly 700, with more than 220 coming from the medical device center. That would represent roughly 10% of the program's total staffing.
The FDA did not respond to requests Monday about how many employees were being reinstated.
Like other agencies, the FDA terminations went to employees in their , typically the first two years of federal employment. But that approach resulted in the terminations across key areas where the agency has been working to beef up staffing, including rapidly evolving fields like artificial intelligence and digital health. The cuts also included agency leaders who were recently hired for senior roles.
鈥淭he disarray caused by the wholesale termination of a wide swath of device center staff was counterproductive and appears to have caused a variety of unintended and negative results,鈥� said Steve Silverman, a former FDA device official who now runs a consulting firm. 鈥淚t鈥檚 encouraging to see a shift in the opposite direction that recognizes the critical expertise of these staffers.鈥�
Many reviewers have advanced degrees in specialized medical and technological fields. They can typically earn more in the private sector than in government.
Last week, the lobbying group AdvaMed pushed back on the firings, calling on Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to reverse course. The group warned that the cuts would result in slower approvals for companies and fewer new treatment options for patients.
鈥淔DA will lose hundreds of new employees, the best and most innovative hires under our most recent agreement,鈥� Whitaker wrote in a statement posted online. He noted that the hiring of FDA device reviewers is largely financed through an ongoing five-year agreement between the FDA and medical device companies.
More than half the device program鈥檚 $791 million budget last year came from industry fees, according to federal figures. In return, the FDA is obligated to meet certain benchmarks for quickly and predictably reviewing applications for new and updated devices.
FDA staffers who were reinstated said their immediate supervisors received no explanation or advance notice on the decisions. Instead, staffers received calls or emails from the FDA鈥檚 鈥淥ffice of Talent Solutions,鈥� informing them that their access to FDA computer systems and offices had been restored.
鈥淲e are so grateful to still have you working for the FDA and serving the American public!鈥� the emails concluded.
A week earlier, the same employees received emails stating that they were 鈥渘ot fit for continued employment because your ability, knowledge and skills do not fit the agency鈥檚 current needs.鈥�
Nearly half the FDA鈥檚 budget, or about $3.3 billion, comes from fees paid by drugmakers, device and tobacco companies. The result is that broad cuts to those programs won鈥檛 add much toward Musk鈥檚 stated goal of shrinking the federal budget.
But the financial support of industry fees did not appear to help staffers in other parts of the agency.
The agency鈥檚 鈥� which reviews new products like electronic cigarettes and nicotine pouches 鈥� is 100% funded by industry fees. But there did not appear to be an effort to rehire any of the estimated 100 or so employees fired from that center.
Similarly, the recalls did not appear to apply to the agency鈥檚 food program, which recently went though a to better oversee essential products like infant formula and baby food.
Last week, the FDA鈥檚 deputy commissioner for foods, Jim Jones resigned, citing 鈥渢he indiscriminate firing鈥� of nearly 90 staffers in his division, according to a copy of his resignation letter obtained by the AP. The employees fired included those with 鈥渉ighly technical expertise in nutrition, infant formula, food safety response鈥� and chemical safety, Jones said.
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AP Health Writer JoNel Aleccia contributed to this story.
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute鈥檚 Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Matthew Perrone, The Associated Press
