The CDC announced that about 180 employees laid off two weeks ago can return to work after their termination notices were rescinded. This decision, communicated via urgent emails, affects probationary staff, including outbreak responders in training programs. Prior to the layoffs, the CDC employed around 13,000 people, with roughly 700-750 receiving termination notices. Although reinstatement is celebrated by figures like Sen. Raphael Warnock, concerns persist regarding the potential impacts on public health and the uncertainty of future job cuts within the agency. Health officials have yet to clarify specifics on staffing changes or future cuts.
NEW YORK (AP) — The leading public health authority in the U.S. has announced that approximately 180 employees who were laid off two weeks ago are invited to return to their positions.
On Tuesday, emails were sent to certain probationary staff members at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) who received termination notices last month, as reported by current and former CDC personnel.
An email obtained by the AP featured the subject line, “Read this e-mail immediately.” The message indicated that “following additional review and consideration,” a termination notice from February 15 had been revoked and the employee was authorized to resume work on Wednesday. “You should report back to duty under your original work schedule,” it stated. “We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.”
Roughly 180 individuals were recipients of the reinstatement emails, as per two federal health officials who were privy to the figures but were not permitted to speak publicly and requested anonymity.
It remains uncertain how many of those reinstated actually returned to work on Wednesday. Moreover, there is no clarity on whether these employees will be shielded from the extensive layoffs anticipated soon across government agencies.
A sign marks the entrance to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, on Oct. 8, 2013. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)
The CDC joins other federal agencies in attempting to bring back workers shortly after their dismissal as part of President Donald Trump’s and billionaire Elon Musk’s cost-cutting measures. Similar reversals have also occurred for employees overseeing medical devices, food safety, avian influenza response, nuclear armament, and national parks.
Headquartered in Atlanta, the CDC is tasked with safeguarding the U.S. population from outbreaks and various public health hazards. Prior to the layoffs, the agency employed around 13,000 individuals.
Last month, officials from the Trump administration informed the CDC that nearly 1,300 of its probationary staff would be dismissed. However, this figure quickly shifted, as it was later discovered that about 700 to 750 individuals actually received termination notices.
With the addition of 180 employees now authorized to return, the total number of CDC staff who have been terminated thus far appears to be approximately 550. Nevertheless, federal health officials have not verified any specific numbers.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. expressed a commitment to “ radical transparency ” within the department last month, but HHS representatives have not provided details regarding CDC personnel changes and did not respond to email inquiries on Tuesday and Wednesday. Andrew Nixon, a spokesperson for the agency, previously informed the AP that the CDC currently has more full-time employees than it did prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some of those who received reinstatement emails include outbreak responders in two fellowship programs — a two-year training initiative designed to prepare recent graduates for careers in public health through fieldwork, as well as a laboratory program that recruits doctorate-holding professionals.
U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock applauded the reinstatees but stressed that it is insufficient.
“The announcement today brings a sigh of relief, but until all dismissed CDC employees are reinstated, our nation’s public health and national security will remain endangered,” Warnock, a Democrat from Georgia, stated in a press release on Wednesday.
Contacting The Associated Press
The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual, nonpartisan journalism. We are reporting on changes within the U.S. government under the new administration. If you are a former or current government worker who would like to share information with us, please message us on Signal at TheAP.1846
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Associated Press writer Michelle R. Smith in Providence, Rhode Island, contributed to this report.
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives funding from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.