WASHINGTON (DC News Now) -- The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced Thursday that it would soon be laying off 10,000 workers and dismantling entire agencies. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a video that the 82,000 workers were at fault for America's declining he alth, the Associated Press reported. “I want to promise you now that we’re going to do more with less,” Kennedy said in the video. Health and Human Services will lay off 10,000 workers and close agencies in a major restructuring Leaders around the DMV responded to his announcement Thursday, with many decrying it. Senator Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.) called the move "dangerous and deadly." Below are statements from our region's leaders in response to the HHS layoffs. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.) "Dangerous and deadly. These mass layoffs at Health and Human Services will cost human lives. I warned America that confirming RFK Jr. would be a mistake. His blatant distrust of science and disregard for research and advancement makes him completely unqualified. This move must be immediately reversed for the health and safety of the American people. I will do all I can to fight this." Statement from Senator Angela Alsobrooks Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) Van Hollen posted a video to social media Thursday saying, "Cutting thousands of people whose job it is to help protect the public health and healthcare in America will do just the opposite -- it will put lives of Americans in danger. RFK Jr. has done that repeatedly." "This Administration is hell-bent on decimating important protections for Americans’ health – gutting agencies that ensure the safety of our food and medicine, conduct lifesaving research into treatments and cures for diseases that impact so many American families, and oversee the health coverage of over 160 million Americans through Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and the ACA. This is idiocy – not efficiency. It will endanger American lives, make it harder for folks to access their health care, halt progress on promising research, and more. This is yet another example of the Trump Administration’s great betrayal – instead of working to lower costs for working people, they’re stripping away vital services to create a government that only serves the richest of the rich. We will fight these actions tooth and nail – so our hard-working federal employees, including those in Maryland at NIH, FDA, and CMS, can continue to deliver critical services to the American people." Statement from Senator Chris Van Hollen Maryland Democratic Party "Donald Trump’s recklessness is having a ripple effect across the states, especially here in Maryland. Laying off thousands of health department workers – in the middle of a measles outbreak – puts Americans at risk. It also hurts our state’s economy, since nearly 40% of federal workers who live in Maryland are employed by the Department of Health and Human Services. Trump’s irresponsible choices pose serious threats to public health and our economy." Statement from Maryland Democratic Party Executive Director Karen Darkes ...read more read less