In a major overhaul,the U.S. Department of Health and Human Serviceswill lay off 10,000 workers and shut down entire agencies, including ones that oversee billions of dollars in funds for addiction services and community health centers across the country.Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.criticized the department he oversees as an inefficient sprawling bureaucracy in a video announcing the restructuring Thursday. He faulted the departments 82,000 workers for a decline in Americans health.I want to promise you now that were going to do more with less, Kennedy said in the video posted to social media.The restructuring plan caps weeks of tumult at the nations top health department, which has been embroiled inrumors of mass firings, the revocation of$11 billion in public health fundingfor cities and counties,a tepid responseto a measles outbreak, and controversial remarks about vaccines from its new leader.Still, Kennedy said a painful period lies ahead for HHS, which is responsible for monitoring infectious diseases, inspecting foods and hospitals, and overseeing health insurance programs for nearly half the country.Overall, the department will downsize to 62,000 positions, losing nearly a quarter of its staff10,000 jobs through layoffs and another 10,000 workers who took early retirement and voluntary separation offers encouraged by President Donald Trumps administration.The cuts were first reported by The Wall Street Journal.Public health experts, doctors, current and former HHS workers, and congressional Democrats quickly panned Kennedys plans, warning they could have untold consequences for millions of people across the country.These staff cuts endanger public health and food safety, said Brian Ronholm, director of food policy at Consumer Reports, in a statement. They raise serious concerns that the administrations pledge to make Americans healthy again could become nothing more than an empty promise.But Kennedy, in announcing the restructuring, blasted HHS for failing to improve Americans life spans and not doing enough to drive down chronic disease and cancer rates.All of that money, Kennedy said of the departments $1.7 trillion yearly budget, has failed to improve the health of Americans.Cancer death rates have dropped 34% over the past two decades, translating to 4.5 million deaths avoided, according to the American Cancer Society. Thats largely due to smoking cessation, the development of better treatmentsmany funded by the National Institutes of Health, including groundbreaking immunotherapyand earlier detection.Federal health workersstationed across the country at agencies including the NIH and the Food and Drug Administration, both in Marylanddescribed shock, fear, and anxiety rippling through their offices Thursday. Workers were not given advance notice of the cuts, several told the Associated Press, and many remained uncertain about whether their jobs were on the chopping block.Its incredibly difficult and frustrating and upsetting to not really know where we stand while were trying to keep doing the work, said an FDA staffer who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation. Were being villainized and handicapped and have this guillotine just hanging over our necks.On Thursday HHS provided a breakdown of cuts at the FDA, the NIH, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services:3,500 jobs at the FDA, which inspects and sets safety standards for medications, medical devices and foods.2,400 jobs at the CDC, which monitors for infectious disease outbreaks and works with public health agencies nationwide.1,200 jobs at the NIH, the worlds leading public health research arm.300 jobs at CMS, which oversees the Affordable Care Act marketplace, Medicare, and Medicaid.HHS said it anticipates the changes will save $1.8 billion per year but didnt give a breakdown or any other details.The cuts and consolidation go far deeper than anyone expected, an NIH employee said.Were all pretty devastated, said the staff member, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation. We dont know what this means for public health.Union leaders for CDC workers in Atlanta said they received notice from HHS on Thursday morning that reductions will primarily focus on administrative positions including human resources, finance, procurement, and information technology.At CMS, where cuts focus on workers who troubleshoot problems that arise for Medicare beneficiaries and Affordable Care Act enrollees, the result will be the lowest customer service standards for thousands of cases, said Jeffrey Grant, a former deputy director at the agency who resigned last month.Beyond losing workers, Kennedy said he will shut down entire agencies, some of which were established by Congress decades ago. Several will be folded into a new Administration for a Healthy America, he said.Those include the Health Resources and Services Administration, which oversees and provides funding for hundreds of community health centers around the country, as well as the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, which funds clinics and overseesthe national 988 hotline. Both agencies pump billions of dollars into on-the-ground work in local communities.SAMHSA was created by Congress in 1992, so closing it is illegal and raises questions about Kennedys commitment to treating addiction and mental health, said Keith Humphreys, a Stanford University addiction researcher.Burying the agency in an administrative blob with no clear purpose is not the way to highlight the problem or coordinate a response, Humphreys said.The new Administration for Healthy America will focus on maternal and child health, environmental health, and HIV/AIDS work, HHS said.The Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, created by a law signed by then-Republican President George W. Bush and responsible for maintaining the national stockpile that was quickly drained during the COVID-19 pandemic, will also be eliminated and moved into the CDC.By Amanda Seitz, Associated PressAssociated Press writers Matthew Perrone, Lauran Neergaard, JoNel Aleccia, Carla K. Johnson, and Mike Stobbe contributed to this report.