The executive order could come as soon as next week, if the Trump administration goes ahead with plans, according to people familiar with the matter.

Employees at the Department of Health and Human Services are bracing for layoffs across the vast public health agency, as Donald Trump ’s administration instructs federal health officials to rank their essential workers and those who are deemed less essential.

The White House is working on an executive order to fire thousands of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services workers, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.