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CDC Rehires Hundreds After Controversial Layoffs
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is bringing back more than 450 employees just months after they were laid off in a sweeping reorganization. The reinstatements, affecting nearly 20% of the 2,400 CDC staff originally dismissed, focus on key areas like HIV prevention and childhood lead exposure.
Over 200 positions were restored within the National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and Tuberculosis Prevention, with another 158 returning to the National Center for Environmental Health. The Office of the Director and the Global Health Center also saw 71 and 24 employees reinstated, respectively. An HHS spokesperson confirmed these reinstatements apply only to the CDC, despite similar cuts impacting other health agencies like the FDA, NIH, and CMS.
HHS Director of Communications Andrew Nixon defended the initial layoffs and subsequent rehirings, stating the moves were part of a streamlining effort that did not compromise essential services. He emphasized the administration’s commitment to public health, citing areas like lead prevention and research on communicable diseases.
The reversal comes after intense scrutiny, particularly surrounding the elimination of the CDC’s Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention and Surveillance Branch. This branch played a crucial role in assisting Milwaukee with lead exposure issues in its public schools.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced pressure from media and lawmakers after the cuts forced the CDC to deny Milwaukee’s request for assistance, despite Kennedy stating he had no intention of dismantling the branch.
Notably, the entire lead team and its parent division have now been rehired.
Reinstated employees, who had been on administrative leave, received emails revoking their layoff notices. While public health advocates welcomed the news, some expressed ongoing concerns about the stability and long-term impact of such abrupt changes within federal health agencies.
Dr. Brian Castrucci of the de Beaumont Foundation, while relieved by the reinstatements, stressed the potential harm caused by haphazard planning, highlighting the consequences already felt by affected families and children.