FDA Rehires Medical Device Staffers After Mass Firings: Costly Chaos Ensues
Following mass firings at the FDA, numerous probationary staffers, primarily in medical device and food safety review, were unexpectedly reinstated. This reversal, impacting entire teams, followed industry lobbying efforts and resulted from the chaotic cost-cutting measures implemented by the administration. The reinstatements primarily affected those whose roles were partially funded by industry fees, unlike employees in other divisions, such as the tobacco center, which received no such reversal. The FDA has not yet released official figures on the number of employees fired or reinstated, but the situation highlights the significant disruption caused by the initial terminations and their subsequent reversal.
John Q. Hosedrinker