In a surprising turn of events, the Trump administration has backtracked on its layoff orders affecting some employees at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Just a day after staff were told of their layoffs, an unexpected announcement came for many.
The National Public Health Coalition, representing the laid-off workers, claims that roughly 1,300 jobs were cut last Friday due to ongoing fallout from the government shutdown. However, on Saturday, the same group reported that around 700 of these employees were promptly rehired.
A spokesman from the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the CDC, stated, “The employees who received incorrect notifications were never actually separated from the agency and have since been informed of their ongoing employment.” However, they did not clarify exactly how many individuals this affected.
This year has been particularly challenging for the CDC as it remains under significant pressure. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. implemented extensive cuts in staffing last spring. There was also a troubling incident in August when a man, critical of the Covid-19 vaccine, killed a police officer outside the CDC and targeted several buildings on the campus. Workers who’ve been part of the agency report that morale is at a low point.
In August, the White House dismissed CDC Director Susan Monarez. She has since testified before the Senate that Kennedy intended to remove long-time scientists from the agency, indicating internal struggles within the organization. Jim O’Neill, Kennedy’s deputy, has taken on the role of acting CDC director.
The wave of layoffs sparked last week across the federal government was blamed on the shutdown that began on October 1st. President Trump looks to increase pressure on the Democrats to resolve the funding deadlock in Congress.
The administration indicated in recent legal documents that layoffs could potentially impact about 4,000 federal workers across multiple agencies, with estimates of 1,100 to 1,200 employees from the HHS feeling the impact.
Andrew Nixon, an HHS spokesman, mentioned that some of those dismissed had conflicts with the Trump administration’s agenda. Federal employees are worn out from being used as political tools by both elected officials and those in positions without direct accountability,” stated Everett Kelley, national president of the American Federation of Government Employees, representing these workers.
For further details, reach out to Alyssa Lukpat at alyssa.lukpat@wsj.com and Tali Arbel at tali.arbel@wsj.com
