The planned changes would affect workers across the Department of Health and Human Services, including staff involved in shaping public health policy, regulation and research oversight, the sources said. The move follows Trump’s campaign pledge to reclassify certain federal employees viewed by his advisers as exercising significant influence over government policy.

The proposal is tied to a revived version of “Schedule F,” a federal employment category first introduced during Trump’s first term that would allow agencies to remove some career civil servants from traditional job protections. Critics said the measure could expose career officials to politically motivated dismissals, while supporters argued it would increase accountability within the federal bureaucracy.

Employees at agencies overseen by HHS, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health, could be affected depending on how individual positions are classified, the sources said.

The administration has not publicly disclosed how many employees may lose protections or which roles would be targeted first. HHS did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Trump and allies have argued that career officials across federal agencies have obstructed presidential priorities and insulated policy decisions from elected leadership. During the 2024 election campaign, Trump repeatedly pledged to reshape the federal workforce and remove what he described as entrenched bureaucratic resistance within government institutions.

Federal employee unions and governance watchdog groups have opposed the effort, warning it could weaken the independence of scientific and regulatory agencies responsible for public health oversight, drug approvals and medical research funding.

The issue is expected to draw legal and political scrutiny as the administration moves to implement broader changes across the federal workforce.