The Trump administration has initiated sweeping layoffs within a key federal office, the Office of Population Affairs, which manages a $300 million family planning program. This move has sparked serious concerns that the administration is effectively dismantling an initiative vital for millions of low-income women who rely on its contraception services, according to three informed sources.
This drastic reduction in staff at the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Population Affairs is part of a broader push by President Trump to remove federal employees during the ongoing government shutdown. It jeopardizes a program that has been in place for over five decades, offering crucial services such as contraception, STD and pregnancy testing, and even fundamental infertility support.
These layoffs are a stark manifestation of President Trump’s commitment to dismiss federal workers and eliminate what he labels ‘Democrat programs’ during the shutdown. This aggressive approach marks a significant shift from previous administrations and has ignited considerable legal and constitutional debate.
On Friday, nearly all personnel within the office found themselves locked out of their official government emails and computers. Sources, who chose to remain anonymous due to fears of retaliation, reported that by Wednesday afternoon, several employees inquiring about their job status received notifications from human resources. These messages confirmed that those who had lost email access were indeed part of a government-mandated reduction in force, or RIF.
Remarkably, employees were notified of their layoffs via emails sent late Friday afternoon — after they had already been locked out of their accounts, according to communications reviewed by a leading news outlet.
A federal judge recently issued a temporary injunction, blocking the Trump administration from proceeding with widespread federal employee layoffs during the shutdown. However, as of Wednesday evening, it remained uncertain which specific employees were protected by this ruling.
News of these layoffs immediately drew strong reactions from reproductive health advocates. They expressed deep concern that dismantling this office would strip women of essential services, impacting their ability to make informed decisions about family planning and childbearing.
Jessica Marcella, who previously served as the deputy assistant secretary for population affairs in the Biden administration, voiced her alarm: ‘The high-quality, confidential care these individuals depend on could vanish overnight. If the program lacks staff to operate it, it effectively ceases to exist.’
Emily Hilliard, the press secretary for the Department of Health and Human Services, declined to comment directly on how these layoffs would impact the future of the family planning program. In a formal statement, Ms. Hilliard clarified that ‘All H.H.S. employees receiving reduction-in-force notices were designated nonessential by their respective divisions.’
The Title X program has been on thin ice for months. The Trump administration had already proposed its complete elimination in its 2026 budget plan. Concurrently, the office had been directed to shift its focus towards infertility issues, aligning with the administration’s concerns regarding the declining U.S. birthrate. Sources close to the administration’s infertility initiatives indicated that these efforts are expected to continue, likely managed by a different federal office.
Historically, the Title X program has often been a political battleground, with successive administrations attempting to reshape it according to their policy agendas. For instance, during the initial Trump administration, the Office of Population Affairs aimed to broaden access to fertility-awareness methods, commonly favored by Christian couples for family planning. In contrast, the Biden administration later sought to enhance birth control access and tackle disparities in reproductive health services.
This dismantling of the Title X office coincides with a rising trend among some of Mr. Trump’s conservative supporters who are actively urging women to discontinue hormonal birth control. Both Christian conservative groups and advocates aligned with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s ‘Make America Healthy Again’ campaign have voiced concerns about potential side effects associated with hormonal contraception.
While it is true that some women may experience side effects from birth control, major medical organizations consistently endorse a broad spectrum of hormonal contraceptive options.