She criticized President Trump during the shutdown. Now she's been put on leave

She criticized President Trump during the shutdown. Now she's been put on leave

Andrea Hsu

November 14, 2025 / 5:49 am

Jenna Norton, a program director at the National Institutes of Health, says she has been put on paid leave following the end of the government shutdown.

"I was not given a reason for being put on leave, but I strongly suspect it is because I have been speaking up in my personal capacity about the harms that I have been witnessing inside the National Institutes of Health," she said in a video posted to TikTok .

The notice Norton received from human resources stated that the leave "is not being done for any disciplinary purpose."

Norton is among a number of federal employees who have been openly critical of the Trump administration, both before and during the 43-da