Washington, D.C. — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention executed deep, late-night staff cuts across multiple programs Thursday, including units that investigate outbreaks and publish the agency’s marquee surveillance reports, according to four people with direct knowledge of the layoffs.
Notices were emailed shortly after 9 p.m., the sources said. The total number affected remained unclear as of Friday morning, but the reductions touched several high-visibility corners of the agency:
- Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS): At least 30 staff who coordinate the training program were cut, along with 40 second-year EIS officers, according to an agency official. EIS “disease detectives” are often deployed to investigate emerging outbreaks in the U.S. and abroad.
- National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD): More than 130 employees within the director’s office—responsible for center-wide coordination—were laid off, said Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, who recently resigned as NCIRD director.
- Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR): Staff at the CDC’s century-old surveillance journal were also dismissed, according to Dr. Debra Houry, a former senior CDC leader.
Two current officials, who requested anonymity to avoid retaliation, alleged political interference. “The administration did not like that CDC data did not support their narrative… so they got rid of them,” one said, adding that policy teams faced pressure to “rubber stamp” unscientific directives.
The layoffs arrive weeks before the peak winter respiratory virus season, when CDC typically publishes frequent MMWR analyses on influenza, Covid-19 and RSV trends; coordinates vaccine guidance; and sends EIS officers to hotspots. “Crippling CDC, even as a ploy to create political pressure to end the government shutdown, means America is even less prepared for outbreaks and infectious disease security threats,” Daskalakis said. “The damage is beyond repair.”
The CDC did not immediately respond to questions about the scope of the cuts, the rationale, or contingency plans to maintain core public-health functions. The White House Office of Management and Budget also did not comment. It was not clear how many positions would be backfilled or whether temporary detailees could sustain epidemiologic surveillance and field response capacity.
Public-health experts warn the reductions could slow detection of worrisome trends, disrupt vaccine-safety monitoring and hamper state and local health departments that rely on CDC data pipelines and technical assistance. The loss of MMWR staff, if sustained, could delay or curtail one of the country’s most widely used, real-time public-health publications.
Further details, including final headcounts and program-by-program impacts, were expected as affected offices tallied separations and notified partners.
