In the midst of the ongoing US government shutdown’s second week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) initially informed approximately 1,300 employees about impending layoffs, but later retracted a significant number of those notices shortly after, according to a source familiar with the situation.
Reports from multiple sources indicate that the Trump administration plans to implement widespread job cuts within the CDC, targeting entire offices and hundreds of workers as part of the federal shutdown. A compiled list by CDC employees, validated by sources within the organization and other health agencies, highlighted various units, including the complete Washington office, marked for termination.
Regarding the layoffs, the White House and CDC have remained silent in response to inquiries. President Donald Trump attributed the layoffs, affecting numerous government sectors, to Democratic actions. Approximately 400 CDC employees initially received layoff notifications impacting their entire units, amounting to an estimated 1,300 job losses, as detailed by an informed source.
However, by Saturday evening, around 90 staff members from units comprising a total of 700 individuals confirmed the reversal of their layoff notices. The cuts specifically targeted workers classified as “non-essential” by their units, as stated by a Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson, encompassing the CDC among its entities.
The spokesperson emphasized that the HHS is eliminating redundant and inefficient components, aligning with the Trump administration’s health initiative. Notably, employees responsible for critical functions such as the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, and young epidemiologists engaged in outbreak investigations had their layoffs overturned.
However, CDC employees in units overseeing workplace safety, human resources, the CDC library, and the Washington office have not reported any reversals of layoff indications. This recent reversal echoes a previous instance where the CDC rescinded job cuts under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who had previously overseen the dismissal of 2,400 employees, eventually rehiring 942 of them.
Kennedy has been vocal in criticizing the CDC, accusing it of being corrupt and promoting vaccine misinformation. His actions included dismantling the CDC’s independent vaccine advisory panel and removing its director shortly after her appointment to reshape national vaccine policies, which experts argue has contributed to declining vaccination rates and increased vulnerability to preventable diseases like measles among youth.