FDA Filing Shows RIF Notices for 229 CTP Employees Were Largely Rescinded

Apr.01

A court declaration signed by FDA official Melanie M. Keller on March 24, 2026 detailed the status of previously issued reduction-in-force notices affecting employees at the Center for Tobacco Products (CTP).

Key Takeaways

The FDA filing says 229 CTP employees received RIF notices on March 31, April 1, and May 2, 2025.
The agency rescinded portions of those notices in stages between May 1, 2025 and September 12, 2025.
On February 3, 2026, all remaining RIF notices were rescinded except for 8 employees who had moved to other CTP divisions.
The declaration says none of the affected employees remains on administrative leave.
The filing also says two Office of Science leaders who had received proposed reassignment notices and were placed on administrative leave returned to the office by November 6, 2025.

2Firsts, April 1, 2026

ccording to a filing in the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island, FDA official Melanie M. Keller submitted a declaration detailing the rescission of previously issued reduction-in-force notices at the Center for Tobacco Products (CTP).

A total of 229 CTP employees had received RIF notices

The declaration states that 229 employees within CTP received reduction-in-force notices on March 31, April 1, and May 2, 2025.

The filing then describes a series of rescissions. On May 1, 2025, RIF notices were rescinded for 21 employees in the Office of Health Communication and Education. On May 5, 2025, rescissions were approved for 50 employees in the Division of Business Operations within the Office of Compliance and Enforcement. On May 14, 2025, rescissions were approved for 18 employees in the Division of Financial Management within the Office of Management. On June 6, 2025, rescissions were approved for 24 employees in the Office of Regulations. On September 12, 2025, rescissions were approved for 10 employees in the Division of Public Health Education.

Further rescissions were approved on February 3, 2026

The declaration further states that on February 3, 2026, all remaining RIF notices described in paragraph 6 were rescinded except for 8 employees who had accepted positions in different CTP divisions after receiving their notices.

Those remaining rescissions included 23 employees in the Division of External Programs and Resource Management within the Office of Compliance and Enforcement and 75 employees in the Office of Management, including 13 employees on the Acquisitions and Assistance Team. The filing states that some of those employees were responsible for public complaints and inquiries, small business assistance, business process management support for IT systems, industry outreach and training, and the management of contracts, intra-agency agreements, blanket purchase agreements, and grants.

None of the affected employees remains on administrative leave

The declaration says that following the rescission of the RIF notices and related actions, none of the CTP employees described in paragraph 6 remains on administrative leave.

The filing also states that, separate from the RIF notices, two leaders in CTP’s Office of Science received notices of proposed reassignment and were placed on administrative leave on April 1, 2025, and that both had returned to the Office of Science by November 6, 2025.

Image source: U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island.

References:

[1] State of New York v. Kennedy

Also Read:

[1] High-Level Changes and Layoffs at FDA Spark Controversy

[2] FDA Requests Laid-Off Employees Back to Help with Tobacco Cases, Enforcement Capacity Severely Weakened

[3] Review Delays in FDA Due to Trump Administration Layoffs

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