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Story summary
- On April 16, 2026, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that the department currently employs 72,000 staff.
- He said the department aims to hire 12,000 more to address workforce reductions caused by cuts from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
- Previously, the department had 82,000 staff before cuts reduced it to 62,000 last year.
