The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' regional office in San Francisco is targeted in President Donald Trump's latest plan involving his initiative of government efficiency, which has led to thousands of potential federal layoffs.
Employees across the massive HHS began receiving notices of dismissal on Tuesday in a major overhaul expected to ultimately lay off up to 10,000 people. The department's regional office in San Francisco is named after the city's longtime lawmaker Nancy Pelosi and is set to close in spring.
"Make no mistake: the reported plans to restructure HHS and close the San Francisco regional office would directly harm out most vulnerable communities and make America sicker," Pelosi said in a statement.
The closure of the regional office in San Francisco would mean more than 300 staffers who manage Medicare, Medicaid and services for indigenous people will be out of a job.
Officials said some of the cuts or downsized departments may be moved to a new entity called the Administration for Healthy America, but Democratic lawmakers and health advocates said the sweeping cuts risk jeopardizing public health efforts.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta is challenging the cuts in court and has joined over 20 other states in suing the Trump administration.
"We know how high the stakes are in our respective states — thousands of jobs and key public health programs and initiatives could be eliminated," Bonta said in a statement.
The notices come just days after Trump moved to strip workers of their collective bargaining rights at HHS and other agencies throughout the government.
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Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s announced a plan last week to remake HHS, which, through its agencies, is responsible for tracking health trends and disease outbreaks, conducting and funding medical research, monitoring the safety of food and medicine, and administering health insurance programs for nearly half of the country.
The plan would consolidate agencies that oversee billions of dollars for addiction services and community health centers across the country under a new office called the Administration for a Healthy America.
Many of those who spoke to NBC Bay Area Tuesday said the announcement is a shock.
"This actually was my dream job. So, as you can see, I brought a plant, I was settled in, I was planning to stay here and retire in this job," Irendira Guerrero, dismissed HHS worker.
The layoffs are expected to shrink HHS to 62,000 positions, lopping off nearly a quarter of its staff — 10,000 jobs through layoffs and another 10,000 workers who took early retirement and voluntary separation offers.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
