Target: Peter F. Neronha, Attorney General of Rhode Island
Goal: Support rehiring of essential federal workers at Department of Health and Human Services.
The firing of thousands of federal workers, as outlined in this ForceChange petition, has hit several critical services hard. Healthcare has taken a particularly devastating hit, with over 7,000 estimated jobs lost at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and the National Institutes of Health. But recent developments have helped replenish the severely depleted forces that help oversee America’s wellness.
Shortly after the cuts took place, Secretary of Health Robert Kennedy admitted that at least 20 percent of the fired workforce would need to be rehired. Kennedy later announced that 1,250 workers had been reinstated across the agencies. In comments regarding the reinstatements, Kennedy acknowledged, “In some cases there have been gaps in our ability to perform our duties. They were doing important work that was critical.” Federal judges have also put pressure on the health department to correct its potentially illegal firings. A court order, for example, led to the rehiring of fired workers at the Food and Drug Administration.
Sign the petition below to applaud the legal minds responsible for restoring the stability of American healthcare.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Attorney General Neronha,
“Without a modicum of evidence to the contrary, the record shows that the Defendants did not consider the ‘substantial harms and reliance interests’ of the States and the devastating consequences that would be felt by the populations served by those critical health programs…Congress never meant to confer HHS the power to self-destruct.” This excerpt from the ruling of U.S. District Court Judge Melissa R. Dubose aptly summarizes the arguments successfully put forth by this attorney general’s office, along with the attorneys general of Washington and New York.
Thank you for these collective efforts in ensuring a fair outcome for unjustly dismissed workers and in strengthening the core of U.S. healthcare operations.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Cottonbro
