Trump administration lays off hundreds of CDC employees in major cuts before rescinding order

Hundreds of United States government employees working for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) were told that they would be permanently laid off, only for the order to be taken back, as per Reuters.

This was part of the US government’s efforts to reduce the number of federally employed individuals during the ongoing shutdown.

The CDC has faced sharp criticism from Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. Hence, it was not surprising that the CDC was among the agencies targeted for job cuts as the US government shutdown is close to entering its third week.

Reuters reported that the number of people who received the termination letter is close to 1,300. This was confirmed by the news agency through its sources. However, the rescinding of the order has also been confirmed by people in the know.

The initial order of reduction in employees saw the closure of many units within the CDC, including its entire Washington office. The Communications Director of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Andrew Nixon, issued a statement.

“HHS continues to close wasteful and duplicative entities, including those that are at odds with the Trump administration's Make America Healthy Again agenda,” it read, as per Reuters.

Departments within CDC targeted for job cuts

As per Reuters, those laid off before being reinstated included personnel working on the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, those with the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, and newly recruited epidemiologists.

This isn’t the first attempt to cut down the number of people employed by the HHS. Secretary Kennedy had chosen to let 2,400 employees go earlier this year, too, though he rehired 942 of them.

Robert Kennedy and CDC

The HHS Secretary has been on a warpath with the CDC. He has often described the agency as having lost all credibility among the general public. The BBC reports that Kennedy has been especially ruthless towards vaccine mandates. He has also made major budget cuts for the organization. He described the government body as affected by “bureaucratic inertia, politicized science and mission creep.”

In August this year, Secretary Kennedy took away $500 million worth of grants from the CDC for work on an mRNA vaccine.

In September, nine former heads of CDC wrote an open letter, published in the New York Times, where they claimed that through his actions, the veteran politician is ‘endangering’ Americans’ health, the BBC reported. However, the HHS Secretary remains undaunted.

FAQs

What is CDC?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is the agency that looks to investigate and prevent outbreaks of diseases in the United States. It also does research on vaccines and issues advisories regarding them.

Who is Robert F Kennedy Jr.?

Robert F Kennedy Jr. is the present Secretary of Health and Human Services in the Donald Trump administration.

Why is Kennedy unhappy with CDC?

Before taking over as HHS Secretary, Kennedy had publicly questioned various actions of the CDC, especially its role during the COVID-19 outbreak.