More than 1,000 CDC staff receive layoff notices during government shutdown - WaPo

[In It to Win It]

WaPo - Gift Link

More than 1,000 staff at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention received layoff notices, including in units that respond to infectious-disease outbreaks, analyze science and health data to develop policy, and monitor the safety of employees, according to multiple individuals issued dismissal notices and others with direct knowledge of the cuts.

Among those who initially received layoff notices were leaders of CDC’s response to the growing number of measles cases in the United States and abroad, including one official who has more than 28 years’ experience overseeing a dozen federal agencies that have responded to outbreaks of Ebola, Marburg virus and mpox in Africa over the years, said the individuals, speaking on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.

After details about the firings became public, a federal health official said Saturday that some layoff notices had been sent in error and would be reversed, including for those leading the measles response, those responding to an Ebola outbreak, CDC’s global health leadership, and some CDC disease detectives. The official did not detail how many of the more than 1,000 layoffs would be reversed.

The CDC dismissals Friday were among the more than 4,000 government positions the Trump administration said it was eliminating in response to the ongoing shutdown. The layoffs are the latest blow to the agency that is at the front lines of public health threats to Americans.

Imagine being this bad at running a government

— Dave Levitan (@davelevitan.bsky.social) 2025-10-11T22:33:53.278Z

[yaesu]

1. interesting nt