AP Photo/David Goldman
NEW YORK — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has informed about 180 employees who were laid off two weeks ago that they are welcome to return to work.
Emails were sent on Tuesday to some of the CDC’s probationary employees who had received termination notices last month, according to both current and former staff members.
One of the emails, seen by the Associated Press, had the subject line “Read this e-mail immediately.” It stated that “after further review and consideration,” a February 15 termination notice had been rescinded, and the employee was cleared to return to work starting Wednesday. “You should return to duty under your previous work schedule,” the email instructed, adding, “We apologize for any disruption this may have caused.”
Approximately 180 employees received the reinstatement notices, according to two federal health officials who were briefed on the matter but spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose the information.
It remains unclear how many of the reinstated employees actually returned to work on Wednesday, and it is uncertain whether these workers will be exempt from the widespread job cuts expected across government agencies in the near future.
The CDC is the latest federal agency to reverse layoffs as part of President Donald Trump’s and billionaire Elon Musk’s cost-cutting measures. Similar reversals have occurred in other areas, including medical device oversight, food safety, bird flu response, nuclear weapons, and national parks.
As a key agency focused on protecting Americans from outbreaks and public health threats, the CDC had roughly 13,000 employees prior to the job cuts. Last month, officials from the Trump administration announced plans to let go of nearly 1,300 probationary CDC employees, though the actual number of termination notices issued turned out to be between 700 and 750.
With the additional 180 employees now reinstated, the total number of CDC employees who have been terminated appears to be around 550, though federal health officials have not provided any official figures.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had promised “radical transparency” at the department last month, but HHS officials have not disclosed further details on the CDC staffing changes and did not respond to inquiries from the AP.
Among those who received reinstatement emails were outbreak responders in two fellowship programs: a two-year program for recent graduates preparing for careers in public health and a laboratory program for individuals with doctoral degrees.
U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock, who represents Georgia, praised the reinstatements but called for further action, saying, “Today’s announcement is a welcome relief, but until all fired CDC employees are restored, our country’s public health and national security will continue to be at risk.”