CDC Workforce Shake-up: A Blow to Violence Prevention

Over 600 CDC employees were issued termination notices amid organizational restructuring. Despite partial legal protection, the layoffs, including those working in violence prevention, have sparked criticism over the lack of transparency in the process.

At least 600 employees of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are facing permanent termination following a recent court decision that protected some of their colleagues from layoffs, indicating a turbulent restructuring within the health agency.

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), representing over 2,000 CDC members, confirmed the layoffs, noting a troubling transparency gap from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which has thus far refrained from providing formal notices to those affected.

This sweeping organizational change impacts divisions crucial to violence prevention, amplifying concerns over the decision's timing, which follows closely on an incident of gun violence at the CDC campus. The federal judge's ruling protected employees in pivotal health areas, but many are still vulnerable to cuts.

(With inputs from agencies.)