CDC terminates 600 workers as part of HHS restructuring

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this week terminated another 600 employees after a federal court approved part of the Trump administration's restructuring plans. 

The termination emails were sent out to the affected employees on Wednesday, according to The Hill, and impact workers in the agency's Division of Violence Prevention, equal employment opportunity office, open records law compliance office, the Office of Financial Resources and the offices of the chief information and chief operating officers, among others.

The layoffs were part of the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) broader reorganization plan that was announced in March. 

The department said it planned to terminate approximately 2,400 CDC employees at the time, including employees involved in the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), which was responsible for national disaster and public health emergency response, according to Fox News.

A federal judge last week cleared the way for the terminations after she only protected CDC employees who were part of specific agencies like the National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and Tuberculosis Prevention; the Division of Reproductive Health; and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. 

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which represents CDC employees, slammed the timing of the terminations, which comes after a shooting at the CDC's main campus in Atlanta earlier this month.

“HHS has shown that it does not have the organizational or operational capacity to take over the support functions that the agency had before these firings," the union said. "This reduction in force was operationally a mess. They have shown they are in no way prepared to support CDC when America needs it most."

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.