US government shutdown: CDC lays off 1,300 employees
The CDC sent out layoff notices to about 1,300 employees as part of federal downsizing during the US government shutdown—but then quickly took back hundreds of those pink slips.
The reversal mainly affected teams working on disease tracking, immunizations, and outbreak investigations, while departments like HR and workplace safety did not have layoffs rescinded.
'It's a massacre'
Roughly 400 CDC staffers were initially told they'd lose their jobs, but about 90 had their layoffs reversed.
Cuts hit both frontline workers and senior leaders—some director roles across major centers were eliminated.
One insider called these cuts "It's a massacre."
The White House is expected to cut between 1,100 and 1,200 jobs at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) during this shutdown.
HHS chief RFK Jr. previously laid off 2,400 employees
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who's openly slammed the CDC as "the most corrupt government agency," previously laid off 2,400 CDC employees earlier in 2025—then rehired nearly a thousand.
He's also scrapped the CDC's independent vaccine panel and fired its director within a month on the job, signaling some major shifts in how vaccines are handled at the federal level.