CDC ‘Not Functional’ After Trump Administration Orders Mass Firings

Late Friday, the Trump Administration carried out sweeping firings at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as part of its pledge to enact mass layoffs during an extended government shutdown. Approximately 1,300staffers were sent termination notices, including senior personnel overseeing respiratory illnesses, chronic conditions, injury prevention, and global health initiatives. Among those initially targeted were about 70 members of the Epidemic Intelligence Service (“disease detectives”), the entire team behind the CDC’s flagship publication Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), and staff in the agency’s Washington office.

The moves drew fierce criticism from public health authorities, who warned the cuts could cripple the nation’s disease‑surveillance and response capabilities. But in a sharp reversal, hundreds of those employees were later informed their dismissals would be rescinded — their termination notices revoked.

These actions come against a backdrop of turbulence at the CDC, which has faced leadership upheaval and shifting priorities under new HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Virologist Angela Rasmussen said that if the layoffs were left in place, the CDC would be unable to detect or respond to outbreaks — from influenza and Ebola to chronic disease and injury. She argued the dismantling of the MMWR would strip the agency of its ability to communicate vital public health information. In her view, that would render the CDC “not functional.”

Other medical professionals echoed urgency. Georgia state representative and anesthesiologist Michelle Au cautioned that the country is approaching a peak in respiratory illnesses — including flu, COVID, and RSV — and might be effectively “flying blind.”

By Saturday, many who had been issued layoff notices were told they would keep their jobs. Some of the reinstated staff came from critical units such as the MMWR office and the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.

HHS Communications Director Andrew Nixon defended the cuts, stating the affected employees were marked “nonessential” within their divisions. He said the department was eliminating “wasteful and duplicative entities” consistent with the administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda.

This turmoil compacts multiple crises for America’s premier public health body: earlier this year, the agency suffered a shooting at its Atlanta campus and the abrupt removal of CDC director Susan Monarez. The firings also came in the context of the government shutdown, driven by a standoff over funding for the Affordable Care Act — specifically a dispute over extending health subsidies for low- and middle-income Americans.

President Trump escalated tensions by asserting that terminations would disproportionately affect “Democrat‑oriented” employees. He predicted the firings would be widespread: “Many of them will be fired,” he said.

Only months earlier, dozens of senior CDC officials had resigned, citing what they described as sidelining of scientific protocols under Kennedy’s leadership. Former CDC vaccine chief Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, in his resignation, lamented the “radical non-transparency” and political interference. Monarez, in later testimony, asserted she was dismissed for “holding the line on scientific integrity,” accusing Kennedy of branding the CDC “the most corrupt federal agency” and requesting she fire vaccine scientists without justification.

Source: TIME