In the second week of the US government shutdown, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued layoff notices to about 1,300 employees, only to rescind hundreds of those notices within hours. Sources confirmed that units including the Washington office and critical teams in epidemiology had their dismissals reversed.
The cuts targeted staff deemed "non-essential" by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). A spokesperson said the move was part of ongoing efforts to eliminate “wasteful and duplicative entities,” aligning with the Trump administration's Make America Healthy Again agenda.
Among those initially cut were employees responsible for the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, National Centre for Immunisation and Respiratory Diseases, and early-career epidemiologists involved in outbreak investigations. Their layoffs were reversed, while other units, including human resources and the CDC library, remained affected.
This reversal mirrors a previous incident earlier in 2025, when HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. oversaw 2,400 employee dismissals at the CDC, only to rehire 942 later. Kennedy, a controversial figure in vaccine policy, has faced criticism for actions that contributed to declining immunisation rates and compromised public health.
Public health experts expressed concern that the uncertainty surrounding CDC staffing could affect vaccine policies and outbreak response, emphasizing the critical role of these employees during the government shutdown.
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