The mass layoffs have severely undercut essential IT, policy and contracting functions, and sources say they fear critical expertise has been lost. The government could hire contractors to fill the gaps, putting ousted employees in an ethical bind.
With the reorganization of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced last week, there's been little explanation of why whole departments have been cut. There's also been no analyses shared on how IT and digital infrastructure systems will be managed, their security maintained and program operations assured after the intended upheaval. Without such analyses or transparency on plans after the cuts have been made, lawmakers and others can only speculate on the effects staff and contract cuts will have on these systems and the people relying on them. It's unclear if divisions have any acquisition authority, fiscal oversight or strategic continuity. HHS said by email Monday that its leaders focused personnel cuts on "redundant or unnecessary administrative positions," according to information provided as background by a deputy press secretary at the department and referred to a previous statement, fact sheet and Secretary Robert F. Kennedy's X social media post. We interviewed two individuals with inside knowledge of last week's cuts of senior executive service at the Office of the Chief Information Officer and the contract lead on a data project still in operation to get their perspectives. Loss of knowledge transfer leaders "It was a huge shock to everybody," said a former leader with a CV rich in health technology programmatic leadership across multiple federal agencies who agreed to be interviewed without further identifiers. "Our entire division of information technology was RIFd. That includes our chief information officer, our chief security officer and all our IT folks who manage the IT for the agency," they said. "The Office of Management Services that has HR and contracts – they were also all RIFd." The former hybrid full-time employee with first-hand knowledge of OCIO operations took a retirement option that keeps their benefits and pay active until September 30, they said. "There was never a plan, there was never a process – and…