News from the South - Alabama News Feed
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to slash 10,000 jobs, close 5 regional offices
by Jennifer Shutt, Alabama Reflector
March 27, 2025
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration announced a sweeping plan Thursday to restructure the Department of Health and Human Services by cutting an additional 10,000 workers and closing down half of its 10 regional offices.
The overhaul will affect many of the agencies that make up HHS, including the Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. HHS overall will be downsized from a full-time workforce of 82,000 to 62,000, including those who took early retirement or a buyout offer.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. released a written statement along with the announcement, saying the changes would benefit Americans.
“We aren’t just reducing bureaucratic sprawl. We are realigning the organization with its core mission and our new priorities in reversing the chronic disease epidemic,” Kennedy said. “This Department will do more — a lot more — at a lower cost to the taxpayer.”
The U.S. Senate voted to confirm Kennedy as the nation’s top public health official in mid-February.
Democrats immediately reacted with deep concern.
Senate Appropriations Committee ranking member Patty Murray, D-Wash., said that she was “stunned at the lack of thought about what they are doing to the American public and their health.”
Murray said the committee, which controls about one-third of all federal spending, “absolutely” has an oversight role to play in tracking HHS actions.
Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin, the top Democrat on the Appropriations subcommittee that funds HHS, said she believes HHS has overstepped its authority and expects the panel will look into its actions.
“These individuals who are going to be terminated under this plan play vital roles in the health of Wisconsinites and people nationally,” Baldwin said. “And I believe that they do not have the authority, the Trump administration does not have the authority to do this wholesale reorganization without working with Congress.”
Maryland Democratic Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, whose constituents in suburban Washington likely hold many of the jobs in question, wrote in a statement the HHS’ restructuring plans are “dangerous and deadly.”
“I warned America that confirming RFK Jr. would be a mistake,” Alsobrooks wrote. “His blatant distrust of science and disregard for research and advancement makes him completely unqualified.”
Cuts across department
The announcement says reorganizing HHS will cut its $1.7 trillion annual budget by about $1.8 billion, in part, by lowering overall staff levels.
Staffing cuts will be spread out over HHS and several of the agencies it oversees. The restructuring plans to eliminate 3,500 full-time workers at the FDA, 2,400 employees at the CDC, 1,200 staff at the NIH and 300 workers at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
The Hubert H. Humphrey Building, the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C., as seen on Nov. 23, 2023. (Photo by Jane Norman/States Newsroom)
“The consolidation and cuts are designed not only to save money, but to make the organization more efficient and more responsive to Americans’ needs, and to implement the Make America Healthy Again goal of ending the chronic disease epidemic,” according to a fact sheet.
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, or HELP, Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy, R-La., wrote in a statement that he looks “forward to hearing how this reorganization furthers these goals.”
“I am interested in HHS working better, such as lifesaving drug approval more rapidly, and Medicare service improved,” Cassidy wrote.
Regional offices, divisions affected
HHS did not immediately respond to a request from States Newsroom about which five of its 10 regional offices would shutter or when those closures would take effect.
Its website shows the offices are located in Boston; New York City; Philadelphia; Atlanta; Chicago; Dallas; Kansas City, Missouri; Denver; San Francisco; and Seattle.
HHS plans to reduce its divisions from 28 to 15 while also establishing the Administration for a Healthy America, or AHA.
That new entity will combine the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, Health Resources and Services Administration, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
That change will “improve coordination of health resources for low-income Americans and will focus on areas including, Primary Care, Maternal and Child Health, Mental Health, Environmental Health, HIV/AIDS, and Workforce development. Transferring SAMHSA to AHA will increase operational efficiency and assure programs are carried out because it will break down artificial divisions between similar programs,” according to the announcement.
HHS will roll the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response into the CDC.
The department plans to create a new assistant secretary for enforcement, who will be responsible for work within the Departmental Appeals Board, Office of Medicare Hearings and Appeals and Office for Civil Rights.
House speaker says HHS is ‘bloated’
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., posted on social media that he fully backed the changes in store for HHS.
”HHS is one of the most bureaucratic and bloated government agencies,” Johnson wrote. “@SecKennedy is bringing new, much-needed ideas to the department by returning HHS to its core mission while maintaining the critical programs it provides Americans.”
Advocates shared Democrats’ concern about the staff cutbacks.
Stella Dantas, president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, released a statement saying the organization was “alarmed by the sudden termination of thousands of dedicated HHS employees, whose absence compounds the loss of thousands of fellow employees who have already been forced to leave U.S. health agencies.”
“Thanks to collaboration with HHS, ACOG has been able to contribute to advances in the provision of maternal health care, broadened coverage of critical preventive care, increased adoption of vaccines, raised awareness of fetal alcohol syndrome, strengthened STI prevention efforts, and more,” Dantas wrote. “This attack on public health—and HHS’ ability to advance it—will hurt people across the United States every single day.”
Last updated 11:33 a.m., Mar. 27, 2025
Alabama Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Alabama Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Brian Lyman for questions: info@alabamareflector.com.
The post U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to slash 10,000 jobs, close 5 regional offices appeared first on alabamareflector.com
News from the South - Alabama News Feed
University of Alabama student detained by ICE moved to Louisiana
by Alander Rocha, Alabama Reflector
March 28, 2025
Federal immigration officials have moved an an University of Alabama graduate student to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in Jena, Louisiana.
An attorney for Alireza Doroudi confirmed Friday afternoon after the ICE detainee locator listed where he was detained. For several days, the detainee locator only stated he was “in ICE custody” but did not list any location. The facility in Jena is holding several international students targeted by federal authorities.
David Rozas, Doroudi’s attorney, disputed claims by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that his client posed a national security concern.
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Doroudi, an Iranian national pursuing a PhD in mechanical engineering, was taken into custody by ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) unit on Tuesday around 3 a.m., Rozas said in a statement sent on Friday. Immigration authorities cited the U.S. State Department’s revocation of Doroudi’s student visa as the reason for his arrest.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said Doroudi “posed significant national security concerns.” The spokesperson declined to provide further details about what the concerns were, saying “That is all we are able to share at this time.”
Rozas challenged that characterization, saying he was unaware “of any allegations concerning significant national security issues.”
“He has not been arrested for any crime, nor has he participated in any anti-government protests,” the statement from Rozas said. “He is legally present in the U.S., pursuing his American dream by working towards his doctorate in mechanical engineering.”
Rozas added that Doroudi’s student visa was still active and that he was in the early stages of applying for permanent residency as a researcher.
Student organizers from the Students for Justice in Palestine, a student organization at UA, said Thursday that Doroudi had no involvement in recent pro-Palestine protests at the university or with the organization.
Doroudi’s fiancé, Sama Ebrahimi Bajgani, started a GoFundMe to help cover his legal expenses, garnering over $21,000 in about a day. She said in a LinkedIn post that Doroudi’s is set to defend his dissertation next academic year and has been “fully engaged” in academic work and research projects in the department.
“His dedication and achievements have earned him recognition in his field and led to his selection to apply for permanent residency,” she wrote in a post.
The University of Alabama has not provided further details about the situation. Spokesperson Alex House did not respond to messages Friday after initially stating that the university was cooperating with immigration authorities. House did not address whether the university was offering Doroudi any assistance.
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Alabama Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Alabama Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Brian Lyman for questions: info@alabamareflector.com.
The post University of Alabama student detained by ICE moved to Louisiana appeared first on alabamareflector.com
News from the South - Alabama News Feed
HPD: Crime Rates Down Despite Growing Population | March 28, 2025 | News 19 This Morning
SUMMARY: Despite a 20% population growth over the past five years, Huntsville’s crime rate has significantly decreased, according to the Huntsville Police Department (HPD). Major crimes have dropped by 26%, and violent crimes have decreased by 39%. HPD credits strong community engagement and public cooperation for this positive trend. While drug crimes, particularly related to fentanyl and methamphetamine, remain a challenge, new technologies, faster officer response times, and collaboration with other agencies have contributed to the reduction in crime. HPD emphasizes the vital role of the community in improving safety and reducing crime rates.

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News from the South - Alabama News Feed
GE Vernova celebrates new customer experience center as employees work to meet demands for electrici
SUMMARY: GE Vernova celebrated the opening of a new customer experience center at its Pensacola Factory, which manufactures key components for onshore wind turbines. The facility, the largest of its kind globally, is critical in meeting growing demands for renewable energy. It is currently producing turbines for a massive wind farm in New Mexico and additional projects in Texas. GE Vernova has invested $70 million since 2023 to expand the facility, aiming to boost electricity production. With over 600 employees, including veterans, the company plans to further grow, potentially reaching 1,000 workers as it continues to support electrification and decarbonization efforts.

A ribbon cutting ceremony took place Thursday for a new customer experience center at GE Vernova’s Pensacola factory.
FULL STORY: https://trib.al/DAvDwk6
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