At least 600 CDC employees sent termination notices, some question timing

At least 600 employees at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are being laid off. The American Federation of Government Employees, which represents thousands of CDC staff, confirmed the news Thursday.

The permanent termination notices went out this week, as first reported by the Washington Post.

Layoffs come in wake of deadly shooting

CDC employees, who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation, told The Post that the layoffs have added to frustration within the agency.

Earlier this month, a gunman fired at the CDC headquarters in Atlanta, killing a police officer. Investigators said evidence from the shooter’s home showed he opposed COVID-19 vaccines.

Letter accuses RFK Jr. of risking employee lives

Now, more than 750 current and former Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) staff members have signed a letter addressed to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The letter accuses Kennedy of endangering both employees and the public by eliminating public health programs. It also criticizes him for “repeatedly spreading inaccurate health information.”

Kennedy has previously voiced skepticism about vaccines, a stance the signatories suggest undermines the agency’s mission.

“The violent August 8th attack on CDC headquarters in Atlanta was not random,” the letter states. It also notes the shooting occurred “amid growing mistrust in public institutions, driven by politicized rhetoric that has turned public health professionals from trusted experts into targets of villainization — and now, violence.”

‘Irony is devastating’

The Associated Press reported that the layoffs involve about 100 people who were involved in violence prevention. Some critics have questioned the timing of the decision.

“The irony is devastating: The very experts trained to understand, interrupt, and prevent this kind of violence were among those whose jobs were eliminated,” some impacted workers wrote in a blog post last week.

Impacted employees

The Post also reports that the layoffs impact employees involved in equal employment opportunity and freedom of information.

In April, thousands of employees received layoff notices at the CDC and other federal health agencies. It came after RFK Jr. announced in March that HHS would reduce its staff from 82,000 to 62,000 as part of a restructuring plan.

HHS has yet to disclose details of latest layoffs

Many employees remain on administrative leave pending the outcome of a number of lawsuits. 

HHS officials have not yet commented on the most recent layoffs.