INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The Food and Drug Administration is reinstating telework for staff who review drugs, medical devices, and tobacco, according to reporting by
Review staff and supervisors are now allowed to resume telework at least two days a week, according to an internal email obtained by the
AP.The move reverses a jarring return-to-office decree by the Trump administration, which it used to spur resignations from federal
Now, after a wave of such resignations and a brutal round of layoffs that targeted about 3,500 staff, the move to restore some telework
appears aimed at keeping the remaining talent amid fears that the agency's review capabilities are at risk of collapse.The cut of 3,500
staff is a loss of about 19 percent of the agency's workforce, and staffers told the AP that lower-level employees are "pouring" out of the
agency amid the Trump administration's actions
Entire offices responsible for FDA policies and regulations have been shuttered
Most of the agency's communication staff have been wiped out, as well as teams that support food inspectors and investigators, the AP
reported.Reviewers are critical staff with unique features
to review their products efficiently
