Overview

• Roughly 700 of about 1,300 CDC layoff notices were rescinded over the weekend, with HHS saying the affected employees received incorrect notifications and were never separated.
• Approximately 600 CDC staff remain cut following government-wide reductions in force launched during the shutdown, which OMB Director Russell Vought announced publicly.
• Initial targets included core public‑health teams such as the Epidemic Intelligence Service and the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report staff, with many of those positions subsequently reinstated.
• The American Federation of Government Employees has sued to block the RIFs, citing more than 4,000 federal workers affected across agencies, with a court hearing expected this week.
• Current and former public‑health officials warn the episode has damaged CDC capacity and sowed confusion, even as active threats like measles in the U.S. and Ebola abroad require experienced responders.