Court rebuffs Trump’s bid to terminate thousands of HHS staffers

By Hannah Northey | 09/17/2025 04:20 PM EDT

The cuts included scientists working to prevent mine disasters and the spread of disease among miners.

People rally in support of researchers and other employees of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in Morgantown, W.Va.

People rally on April 23 in support of 185 researchers and other employees of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in Morgantown, West Virginia, who initially received reduction-in-force notices as part of the Department of Health and Human Services' effort to dismiss 10,000 federal employees. Gene J. Puskar/AP

A federal appeals court on Wednesday said it will not allow Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to move forward with dramatically downsizing his agency while a legal fight plays out.

The United States Court of Appeals For the First Circuit rejected the Trump administration’s request to stay a preliminary injunction that’s blocking the termination of 10,000 workers across the agency, including a group of scientists working to prevent mine disasters and the spread of disease among miners.

The court’s unsigned order protects — at least for now — staffers facing looming job cuts.

The agency did not immediately respond when asked about the court order.

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