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Hundreds of CDC workers reinstated after being fired amid government shutdown

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Published  October 13, 2025 7:34am MST
Government Shutdown
FOX Local
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FILE-A general view of the Center for Disease Control headquarters is seen in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Nathan Posner/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

The Brief

    • CDC employees are being reinstated after they were part of layoffs.
    • The layoffs were rescinded after workers in the agency were told they would lose their jobs.
    • Last week, the White House budget office announced that mass layoffs of federal workers would occur.

Hundreds of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) employees were reinstated after they were initially let go by the federal agency.

The New York Times and Washington Post both reported that CDC workers who were notified of layoffs on Oct. 10 included individuals on teams on infectious disease outbreaks, science and health data analysis and employee safety.

RELATED: Sweeping layoffs 'have begun' as government shutdown drags on

Reuters obtained a list from CDC employees that hinted that multiple divisions, including the Washington, D.C. office were targeted for termination. 

The CDC notified 1,300 workers that they would be laid off but later revoked hundreds of those notices within hours, Reuters reported, citing a person familiar with the matter. 

With the government shutdown entering its 13th day on Monday, the Trump administration plans to lay off federal offices and hundreds of CDC workers as part of major job cuts. 

How many CDC workers are part of the layoffs?

Why you should care:

Citing a source familiar with the layoffs, Reuters noted roughly 400 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention staff reported receiving notices indicating their entire units had been laid off, totaling an estimated 1,300 job losses.

About 90 staffers at the CDC division, employing 700 total people, confirmed their notices had been reversed on Oct. 11, Reuters reported, citing a person who spoke on condition of anonymity. 

Staff reductions to the CDC focused on employees considered "non-essential" by their offices, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services, which includes the CDC, told Reuters. 

News of the reinstatement of the CDC employees comes after the White House budget office announced on Oct. 10 that a reduction in force (RIF) was scheduled to happen.

"The RIFs have begun," Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought said in a social media post on X last week.

The Source: Information for this story was provided by Reuters and The Hill.  This story was reported from Washington, D.C.


 

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