CDC to Lay Off Hundreds in Restructuring

Follow Drugslib on

By Deanna Neff HealthDay Reporter

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Aug 21, 2025.

via HealthDay

THURSDAY, Aug. 21, 2025 — The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is finalizing the termination of at least 600 employees this week, including some working in violence prevention programs.

The cuts come less than two weeks after a man opened fire outside the agency’s Atlanta headquarters, killing a police officer.

“The irony is devastating," more than 50 CDC employees wrote in a joint blog post last week. "The very experts trained to understand, interrupt and prevent this kind of violence were among those whose jobs were eliminated."

The ousters follow a recent federal court decision that offered protection to some CDC employees but not others.

The termination notices were issued as part of a broader government restructuring and downsizing effort led by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), reports The Associated Press.

The cuts have affected a wide range of programs. About 100 people who worked in violence prevention were among those let go.

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) union, which represents more than 2,000 employees at CDC, told The AP it has not been formally notified of the names of employees being let go.

The recent terminations are a follow-up to a wave of layoffs announced in April, which affected thousands of workers at the CDC and other federal health agencies.

Based on a federal court ruling in Rhode Island, several parts of the CDC remain protected from layoffs, including departments dealing with smoking, reproductive health, sexually transmitted diseases, environmental health, workplace safety and birth defects.

Programs facing cuts include rape prevention, child abuse, teen dating violence and childhood violence tracking in other countries.

"There are nationally and internationally recognized experts that will be ipossible to replace," Tom Simon, retired senior director for scientific programs at the CDC’s Division of Violence Prevention told AP.

AFGE said HHS has not been entirely transparent about the specifics of the layoffs, which has created uncertainty.

Employees were told the terminations went into effect on Monday.

Sources

  • The Associated Press, Aug. 20, 2025

    • Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

    Source: HealthDay

    Posted : 2025-08-22 06:00

    Read more

    Disclaimer

    Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Drugslib.com is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Drugslib.com information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Drugslib.com does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Drugslib.com's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Drugslib.com's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners.

    The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Drugslib.com does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Drugslib.com provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

    Popular Keywords