US Health and Human Services (HHS) decision-makers have been shuttling personnel between employment and dismissal, much like the Grand Old Duke of York from the old English nursery rhyme marches troops up and down a hill.
News broke last week that an unclear number of employees at agencies across the HHS were going to be fired as part of a broader targeting of civil service numbers throughout numerous government departments, in line with an electoral promise by president Donald Trump. For the HHS, this included agencies such as the FDA as well as other entities that touch upon vaping and other nicotine alternative products – such as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and National Institutes of Health (NIH).