Entire Departments of CDC Outbreak Experts Fired, Rehired During Shutdown RIFs
Following through on his threats to lay off furloughed federal employees en masse if the ongoing government shutdown failed to come to an end, the Trump Administration sent termination emails to approximately 1,300 staffers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday, only to quickly reverse half of the firings, the New York Times reported.
Although the staffers were reinstated, on social media, public health professionals lamented the threatened loss of the entire staff and editors of CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) publication, often called “voice of public health.” Published since 1952, MMWR is the agency’s primary vehicle for scientific publication of timely public health information related to disease outbreaks, public health emergencies, and other trends and events. In the realm of food safety, for example, MMWR publishes reports summarizing the events and learnings from significant foodborne illness outbreaks.
Additionally, 70 Epidemic Intelligence Service officers, also known as “disease detectives,” who are responsible for investigating disease outbreaks (including foodborne illnesses) were fired and rehired in the storm of reduction in force (RIF) notices.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) insiders said the Administration blamed "accidental" firings on a “coding error,” per Reuters.
Sources including CNN say that close to 700 CDC staffers were re-hired, while approximately 600 remain laid off.
CDC Takes Hit While Still Reeling From Loss of Leadership and Previous Mass Firings
HHS already experienced mass firings and restructuring in March, shortly after the Trump Administration took power. Specifically, approximately 3,500 and 2,400 staffers currently employed at FDA and CDC, respectively, have already been let go.
Since the March firings, CDC has continued to experience cuts to its programs and losses of top officials. Relevant to food safety, funding cuts have affected CDC’s Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) surveillance program, which, in August, quietly slashed the number of foodborne pathogens monitored under the program from eight to two.
The dismissal of Trump-appointed CDC Director Susan Monarez also played out publicly in August, who was just confirmed by the Senate in July. Shortly after Dr. Monarez was terminated, three of the agency’s veteran, top-ranking scientific experts also resigned: Debra Houry, M.D., Chief Medical Officer and Deputy Director of Programs and Science; Demetre Daskalakis, M.D., Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases; and Dan Jernigan, M.D., Director of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID). Several food safety activities fall under the purview of NCEZID, including tracking foodborne illness outbreaks, zoonotic diseases, and antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
Looking for quick answers on food safety topics?
Try Ask FSM, our new smart AI search tool.
Ask FSM →
