Summary
Recent staffing cuts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) resulted in around 600 employees losing their jobs over the weekend. These cuts are part of a broader effort by the Trump Administration to reduce the federal workforce during the ongoing government shutdown. The layoffs have caused confusion and concern over the impact on public health services.
Key Facts
- Around 600 CDC employees lost their jobs as a result of staffing cuts over the weekend.
- On Friday, 1,300 CDC workers were notified of termination, which later changed for roughly 700 of them.
- Cuts are part of a larger plan by the Trump Administration to downsize the federal workforce amid a government shutdown.
- The Department of Health and Human Services cited "data discrepancies and processing errors" for some of the reversal in job cuts.
- The layoffs affected staff members who brief Congress and work on health statistics, chronic diseases, mental health support, and more.
- The entire staff of the CDC's Washington office was eliminated, raising concerns about losing critical support for Congress.
- About 3,000 CDC employees have left or been released from their jobs since the beginning of the year.
- The national federal workers union is contesting the legitimacy of these terminations, calling them "illegal firings."
