Maine's congressional delegation said the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services plan to reduce its workforce by 20,000 workers, including 10,000 layoffs, will not protect Americans' health.
Independent U.S. Sen. Angus King said cuts targeting the Food and Drug Administration will only hurt Americans.
"The services to Maine people and to the public that these agencies provide are going to make a big difference in people's lives," King said. "We just learned they are cutting off funds for drug treatment in Maine. That's a death sentence for people."
Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins said the reduction of 20,000 workers will hurt critical programs and funding Maine families and communities rely on.
In a statement, U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree of Maine's 1st District said, "For Maine, this means fewer resources to track and respond to infectious diseases; less support for mental health and addiction services; and potential job losses for hardworking public health professionals across the state."
In his own statement, U.S. Rep. Jared Golden of Maine's 2nd District said, "If the administration believes these cuts are necessary ... to improve health care for Americans, they should bring that plan to Congress for a full airing and let the American people be the judge.”
King said the firings across government are not going to fix the budget deficit.
"All these firings are not going to help the budget deficit. If they fired half the people in the federal government that would be 1.4% reduction in the federal budget. What they're really doing is disrupting people's lives, a third of whom are veterans," King said. "Let that sink in. Thank you for your service. You're fired."
The Maine Department of Health and Human Services employs 3,100 people across the state. It's unclear how many employees here will be affected by the cuts.
