Washington DC - The Trump administration has begun mass layoffs at multiple US health agencies, as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. looks to join Elon Musk's quest to gut government services and social programs.

About 10,000 staffers are set to be laid off across the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), including 3,500 from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), 2,400 from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), and more from the National Institute of Health (NIH).

Combined with savage cuts made by Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency, the newly-announced firings will reduce the HHS' workforce by about a quarter, from 82,000 to 62,000.

Thousands of HHS staff reportedly lined up outside their offices as security guards were deployed to determine who was fired and who was not. In some cases, staff were not told that they were fired until they were barred entry.

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HHS secretary RFK Jr. took to social media to address the cuts and justified the overhaul of the department as part of his goal to "Make America Healthy Again" and aligned with President Donald Trump's ambition to cut bureaucracy.

"This is a difficult moment for all of us at HHS. Our hearts go out to those who have lost their jobs," RFK Jr. wrote on X. "But the reality is clear: what we've been doing isn't working."

"Despite spending $1.9 trillion in annual costs, Americans are getting sicker every year. In the past four years alone, the agency’s budget has grown by 38% – yet outcomes continue to decline."

While RFK Jr. admitted that pain would be felt by employees who have been fired, he called the move a "win-win" for taxpayers and vowed to end what he called a "chronic disease epidemic."

"We must shift course. HHS needs to be recalibrated to emphasize prevention, not just sick care. These changes will not affect Medicare, Medicaid, or other essential health services."