Key Points:
- 600 CDC layoffs after court ruling limited protections.
- Violence prevention programs cut, affecting 100 staff and key projects.
- Transparency issues and weakened CDC preparedness
At least 600 employees of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are receiving final termination notices this week, according to the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE). The CDC layoffs follow a federal court ruling that shielded certain divisions from layoffs but left many others vulnerable, deepening uncertainty across the nation’s top public health agency.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which oversees the CDC, has not confirmed the exact number of layoffs. However, the AFGE, representing more than 2,000 dues-paying CDC workers, said it has confirmed at least 600 affected employees.
Union Decries Lack of Transparency
The AFGE criticized what it called a “staggering lack of transparency” from HHS, noting that employees often learn about their employment status only when termination letters arrive. “Due to a staggering lack of transparency from HHS, the union hasn’t received formal notices of who is being laid off,” the AFGE said in a statement Wednesday.
The CDC layoffs are part of a sweeping federal restructuring plan announced in April, which initially placed thousands of CDC and other federal health agency workers on administrative leave. Employees remained on payroll but were barred from performing duties while legal challenges proceeded.
Last week, a federal judge in Rhode Island issued a preliminary ruling protecting several CDC divisions, including those working on smoking prevention, reproductive health, environmental health, workplace safety, birth defects, and sexually transmitted diseases. However, many other employees, including staff in violence prevention programs, were not covered under the ruling and are now receiving permanent termination notices.
Violence Prevention Staff Among Those Cut
Approximately 100 of the affected employees worked in the CDC’s Division of Violence Prevention. The timing of the CDC layoffs has drawn sharp criticism, coming less than two weeks after a gunman fired more than 180 rounds into the CDC’s Atlanta campus, killing a police officer.
“The irony is devastating: The very experts trained to understand, interrupt, and prevent this kind of violence were among those whose jobs were eliminated,” employees wrote in a blog post last week.
Projects impacted by the cuts include initiatives addressing rape, child abuse, and teen dating violence. Internationally, CDC staff have assisted other countries in tracking violence against children, work that recently inspired an upcoming global conference on violence reduction goals.
“There are nationally and internationally recognized experts that will be impossible to replace,” said Tom Simon, retired senior director for scientific programs at the Division of Violence Prevention.
Broader Impact on Public Health Efforts
The CDC layoffs extend beyond violence prevention. Staff in offices managing freedom of information requests and other key programs are also affected. Terminations officially took effect Monday, according to internal communications shared with employees.
While HHS has framed the restructuring as a cost-saving measure and an attempt to streamline operations, public health advocates warn that losing seasoned professionals could undermine the nation’s preparedness for future crises.
The long-term implications of the CDC layoffs remain unclear, but union leaders and former officials emphasize that the cuts represent not only a loss of jobs but also a weakening of institutional knowledge that cannot easily be restored.
