The FDA is hiring. That much is true. What is not true is that the hiring is happening smoothly. A new report from STAT says the agency’s recruiting spree has turned into a bottlenecked mess of bureaucratic delays, and the culprit is the same budget cut that wiped out thousands of jobs earlier in the Trump administration.
Prospective new employees are stuck in pre-onboarding limbo. Routine administrative tasks, like purchase approvals and travel payments, have fallen by the wayside. The hiring spree that promised to fill the ranks is now a slow-motion disaster, with the agency caught in its own red tape.
The DOGE Cut That Started It All
The problem traces back to the DOGE cuts, a round of federal budget reductions that eliminated thousands of jobs during the Trump administration. Those cuts created bottlenecks and confusion in the hiring process.
The FDA is the agency affected, not the entire government. Instead of a surge of new hires, the agency has a backlog of applicants waiting on paperwork that never moves.
The irony is that the FDA was supposed to be expanding. There was a hiring spree, but the infrastructure to support that growth never materialized. The result is a workforce that is understaffed, overburdened, and unable to move forward on even routine administrative tasks.
The agency’s hiring process has become a slow-motion disaster. The DOGE cuts created bottlenecks that the agency has been unable to clear. Prospective employees are stuck in pre-onboarding limbo, and routine administrative tasks have fallen behind.
Mice With Half-Human Brains
While the hiring saga dominates the news, another story is making waves in neuroscience. STAT reporter Megan Molteni has written about “neuro-chimeric” mice with half-human brains, a scientific achievement that raises serious ethical questions.
The research involves creating creatures that are part animal, part human. The ethical concerns are obvious. Researchers are grappling with questions about consciousness, pain, and the moral status of animals that carry human neural tissue. The field is moving fast, and regulations are struggling to keep up.
But the headline question remains: could these mice find a piece of cheese in a maze faster than regular mice? It is a light-hearted way to frame the science, but it points to a deeper issue. The research is advancing faster than our ability to understand what it means.
Bavarian Nordic Names a New CEO
The FDA hiring chaos is not the only headline today. Bavarian Nordic has appointed former Sanofi executive Tarja Stenvall as its new chief executive officer, according to Bloomberg. The move resets the company’s leadership after a failed takeover bid led both the chairman and CEO to step down from the vaccine maker.
Stenvall replaces Paul Chaplin, whose departure was announced earlier this year. She will start Oct. 15. The Danish company is best known for its smallpox shot, which is also used against mpox.
The appointment follows a period of leadership instability at the company. The failed takeover bid destabilized the board, and the decision to replace both the chairman and CEO signals a clean break with the past.
Stenvall’s appointment is a strategic move. Her experience at Sanofi gives her a network and a perspective that will serve Bavarian Nordic well. She takes over a company with a proven product portfolio, including the smallpox shot that has found a second life against mpox.
“Neuro-chimeric” mice with half-human brains.
The Ethical Questions Around Neuro-Chimeric Mice
The neuro-chimeric mouse research raises fundamental questions about what it means to be human. The mice carry human brain tissue, and they behave in ways that suggest cognitive processing. Scientists are asking whether these animals deserve special protections, and whether their use in research is justified.
The research is advancing rapidly, and regulatory bodies are scrambling to establish guidelines. The field is moving faster than the rules can keep up, and that gap is likely to grow larger.
The cheese-in-a-maze question is a playful way to frame the science, but it masks a serious issue. If these mice can learn and remember, they may be more than simple laboratory subjects. They could be models for neurological disorders, tools for testing therapies, or objects of curiosity.
A Leadership Reset at Bavarian Nordic
Bavarian Nordic’s new CEO arrives at a company that has just emerged from a difficult period. The failed takeover bid destabilized the board, and the leadership changes signal a clean break with the past.
Stenvall’s appointment is a strategic move. Her experience at Sanofi gives her a network and a perspective that will serve Bavarian Nordic well. She takes over a company with a proven product portfolio, including the smallpox shot that has found a second life against mpox.
The company’s Danish headquarters will continue to operate, and the smallpox shot remains its flagship product. The leadership change is a vote of confidence in the company’s future.
Key Facts Box
- FDA hiring delays: Caused by the same DOGE cuts that eliminated thousands of jobs earlier in the Trump administration
- Bavarian Nordic CEO: Tarja Stenvall, formerly of Sanofi, starts Oct. 15
- Replacing: Paul Chaplin, whose departure was announced earlier this year
- Company known for: Smallpox shot, also used against mpox
- Research: “Neuro-chimeric” mice with half-human brains, studied by STAT reporter Megan Molteni
The Verdict on the FDA Hiring Mess
The FDA’s hiring spree has turned into a slow-motion disaster. The DOGE cuts created bottlenecks that the agency has been unable to clear. Prospective employees are stuck in pre-onboarding limbo, and routine administrative tasks have fallen behind.
The situation is frustrating for everyone involved. Candidates who want to work at the FDA are caught in a system that cannot process their applications. Current staff are burdened with routine tasks that should be simple. And the public is left with an agency that is slower than it should be.
The FDA needs to address these issues quickly. The agency’s mission is too important to let bureaucratic delays stand in the way of its work. The hiring spree was meant to strengthen the agency, and it has done the opposite.
The agency should prioritize clearing its backlog and streamlining its hiring process. Only then can it return to full strength.
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