A court filing in the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island shows that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Center for Tobacco Products has fully reversed a wave of 2025 reduction-in-force (RIF) notices affecting 229 employees. In a declaration filed March 27, FDA official Melanie M. Keller detailed how the notices, issued March 31, April 1, and May 2, 2025, were rescinded in stages beginning May 1 and continuing through September 12, 2025, across multiple CTP offices, including health communication and education, compliance and enforcement, management, regulations, and public health education.
The declaration states that on February 3, 2026, all remaining RIF notices were rescinded except for eight employees who had already moved to other CTP divisions. The final rescissions covered staff responsible for public complaints, small business assistance, IT business process support, industry outreach, and management of contracts and grants. The filing also notes that two Office of Science leaders placed on administrative leave after proposed reassignments returned to their roles by November 6, 2025, and that none of the affected employees remains on administrative leave.
The filing is part of State of New York vs Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., lawsuit.