A 50-year-old government survey on drug use may be in jeopardy. The entire 17-member U.S. government team responsible for the National Survey on Drug Use and Health received layoff notices Tuesday, as part of the overhaul of the U.

The Knox County Health Department has laid off seven employees ‒ six full-time and one part-time ‒ after the federal government suddenly cut grants that paid their salaries, Knox News has learned. The employees' salaries were paid for by a federal Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity for Prevention and Control of Emerging Infectious Diseases grant designed to fight infectious disease outbreaks.

The funding slash is part of a number of cuts that new Health and Human Services Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has made, including the canceling of hundreds of millions of dollars in grants for research into vaccine hesitancy, LGBTQ populations and supporting HIV prevention.

Washington risks losing more than $150 million for public health initiatives if the grant cancellations are considered legal.

State officials said the cuts could hinder immunization efforts and impact some services offered to veterans, among other programs.

The Trump administration shuts down HHS offices in Seattle, affecting local Head Start programs and community services.

Employees at the HHS regional office and a CDC occupational safety laboratory in Spokane have been abruptly fired, and Head Start staff are on administrative leave.

By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News Kentucky’s health departments are set to lose nearly $150 million in health-related grants after the Trump administration announced it would cancel the state’s COVID-19 health care grants,