(The Hill) — Reports indicate that the Trump administration has retracted layoff notices for some staff at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) after more than 1,000 employees were informed of layoffs during the ongoing government shutdown.
Sources with knowledge of the situation informed several media outlets, such as The New York Times and Washington Post, that those who received layoff notices on Friday included individuals from teams focused on infectious disease outbreaks, scientific and health data analysis, and employee safety concerns.
A federal health official shared on Saturday, as reported by the Post, that several layoff notices were mistakenly issued and would be rescinded. Additionally, The New York Times stated that the leading federal officials on the measles response team were among those who were inadvertently dismissed at the CDC.
Recently, tension has increased between the CDC and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) due to controversies, including the removal of a CDC director and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., known for his vaccine skepticism.
On Friday, the Trump administration announced the layoffs of over 4,100 employees, as mentioned in a Justice Department court filing. In a prior lawsuit by government unions, U.S. District Judge Susan Illston ordered the administration to disclose the relevant information.
The White House budget office also announced Friday that reductions in force (RIFs) were starting after days of threats.
“The RIFs have begun,” Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought said in a post on the social platform X.
