DOGE lays off 3,600 probationary HHS employees - but retains 4,000

More than half of the agency's probationary employees were retained. 

The cuts are estimated to save about $600 million in taxpayer dollars annually. 

Probationary employees who were excluded from layoffs include: 

While the exact process will differ with each federal agency DOGE examines, key functions, specialized responsibilities, and individual roles will be considered for each workforce-cutting analysis. HHS received special attention - especially within the CDC, with meticulous consideration of research functions, lab work, and outbreak surveillance and response. 

Officials said DOGE does not begin any evaluation with any predetermined cost-cutting goal, and there is no official order through which federal agencies are lining up for examination. 

"Typically, contracts and grants are the two main mechanisms the federal government has for dispersing funds," the official told Fox News. "And then we're also thinking about regulations. Every agency is different, but the things we're looking at are pretty similar across every agency." 

Fox News Digital's Greg Norman contributed to this report.