Administration Lays Off 1K at CDC, Including Measles Teams

The Trump administration's layoffs of federal workers that began Friday include more than 1,000 staff members at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, many of whom are experts tracking outbreaks of measles and Ebola. A Health and Human Services spokesman said the job cuts are a response to the agency's growth under the Biden administration during the pandemic, the Washington Post reports. In all, hundreds of scientists were fired Friday night as part of the widespread cuts President Trump said were caused by the government shutdown, per the New York Times. The top two leaders of the federal measles response team were among those dismissed.

Dr. Debra Houry, who resigned in August as the CDC's chief medical officer over the administration's policies, called the cuts devastating. "When you're taking out the ability to respond to outbreaks like this, people's lives are in jeopardy," she said. Dozens of measles outbreaks have occurred this year, with more than 1,500 cases reported, per the Times. The CDC's overseas operations, managed through six regional offices, evidently were eliminated, which could hinder international emergency response capabilities.

Leadership of major CDC centers, including those overseeing immunization, respiratory diseases, and the agency's primary disease forecasting hub, lost most or all senior staff. The office that produces the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report briefly received layoff notices, though these were later identified as administrative errors. Still, confusion lingered among staff members on Saturday. The CDC library, its office of safety, suicide prevention researchers, and the human resources division—including ethics oversight—were also affected.