ANKARA

Hundreds of employees at the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) – once seen as the world’s premier public health body – were laid off last Friday amid the continuing government shutdown, with workers and unions calling the move a “massacre” and warning of dire consequences for health, media reports said on Wednesday.

In previous government shutdowns, workers were temporarily furloughed and later, after the shutdown, given back pay. But the Trump administration announced plans to permanently lay off workers during the current shutdown, a move workers’ unions are challenging in court as illegal.

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 2883, which represents CDC workers, said termination notices were sent to 1,300 employees, according to Ars Technica.

Roughly 700 were later rescinded due to what the Trump administration described as a “coding error,” leaving around 600 permanent terminations in place.

CDC staff claimed the reversal came only after public backlash over the dismissal of experts, including those managing domestic measles outbreaks and an Ebola response in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Yolanda Jacobs, president of AFGE Local 2883, said that CDC Human Resources workers, themselves furloughed, were temporarily recalled just to process layoff letters, including their own.

Since January, the CDC has reportedly lost nearly 3,000 employees, or about 33% of its total staff, due to layoffs, forced resignations, or RIFs (reductions in force).

Affected employees are on paid administrative leave until Dec. 8, but many say they’re barred from seeking other jobs without approval from an ethics office whose staff were also laid off.

The RIF occurred during a shutdown over healthcare funding.

Legal experts argue that layoffs under such conditions are illegal, as federal law prohibits incurring new costs, including severance, during a shutdown.

'Terrified for public safety of our country'

Among those terminated were mental health workers helping staff recover from an August gun attack on the CDC campus – which is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia – as well as entire teams in chronic disease, global health, suicide prevention, and communications.

Quoted by Ars Technica, one former scientist said: “My entire office is gone. I am terrified for the public safety of our country.”

The National Public Health Coalition’s Abigail Tighe said the US is “losing the people with all the knowledge to prevent childhood drownings, child abuse, and suicide” and those who “respond to new and unknown outbreaks across the world.”

Workers say they received no explanation for the cuts and were left to “crowdsource what has been lost.”

One long-time employee described learning of her termination while washing dishes, after making pizza with her family.

“It was heartbreaking and devastating,” she said.

The layoffs leave a major gap in US public health infrastructure at a time when disease surveillance, crisis response, and data collection are under growing demand globally.

Many former staff say they are not only concerned for their personal futures but also for the country’s ability to respond to future public health emergencies.

The Trump administration has drawn a public backlash for promoting a “Make America Healthy Again” slogan while at the same time slashing funding and employees from government agencies responsible for public health and safety.

The administration has argued that its cuts target what it calls "waste, fraud, and abuse."