FDA’s Hiring Surge Hits a Wall After DOGE Workforce Cuts

When Elon Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service ripped through the Food and Drug Administration in April 2025, it did so with a metaphorical chainsaw, cutting roughly 3,500 positions and setting off a wave of resignations. The aftermath left the agency scrambling to keep the lights on while its talent pool evaporated.

Fast‑forward a little more than a year, and the narrative on the surface looks brighter. FDA leaders are now boasting about an aggressive hiring campaign, with a goal of bringing in more than 2,000 new scientists, reviewers and support staff. At a recent industry conference, Karim Mikhail, director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, told manufacturers, “We’re very actively hiring.” The agency’s social‑media feeds are littered with group photos captioned “Welcome to FDA!” – a cheerful showcase of fresh faces.

But the reality behind those snapshots is messier. The FDA’s central hiring hub – the very office tasked with processing all those new applications – is operating with a skeleton crew. The same DOGE‑induced reductions that gutted frontline teams also trimmed the HR staff, leaving the hiring center understaffed and overburdened.

According to internal documents obtained by STAT, the hiring center is down about 30 % from its pre‑DOGE staffing levels. That shortfall translates into longer wait times for background checks, credential verifications and security clearances. Some positions that should have been filled in a matter of weeks are now lingering for months.

The bottleneck has ripple effects beyond the agency’s doors. Delays in onboarding reviewers risk slowing the review of new drug applications, a concern that biotech firms are already voicing. One senior executive at a mid‑stage biotech firm warned, “Every day a reviewer is vacant pushes back our timelines and ultimately patients waiting for therapies.”

Federal officials acknowledge the snag but point to budget constraints and the need for congressional approval to restore full hiring capacity. In a recent memorandum, the FDA’s Office of Human Resources promised to request additional funding and to explore “temporary surge staffing” to bridge the gap.

For now, the agency’s hiring optimism is tempered by a very human reality: you can’t hire the world’s best talent if the gate‑keepers themselves are stretched thin.