CDC loses one-third of staff in a year amid sweeping federal cuts
The CDC’s workforce shrank by about 33% between March 2025 and April 2026, according to a union report, including the total loss of two offices and most HR staff.
The American Federation of Government Workers reports that the CDC’s staff count fell by roughly one-third between March 2025 and April 2026, including the total loss of the Office of Health Equity and the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity in 2025. Human-resources personnel departures reached 98%, and the agency now operates with about 3,000 fewer employees under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and newly confirmed director Erica Schwartz.
The attrition followed a 2025 overhaul by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, after which many spared workers quit or retired. Former National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases head Demetre Daskalakis described the remaining CDC as “zombified.” The weakened agency has struggled to address measles, cyclosporiasis, and rabies outbreaks and has not issued guidance on the latest flu vaccine approved by the FDA. AFGE president Yolanda Jacobs warned that dismantling the public-health infrastructure threatens the nation’s ability to protect its citizens.
Why it matters
A depleted CDC hampers the United States’ capacity to manage disease outbreaks and protect public health.
How this story developed
- Sep 15 NIH expands grant eligibility to include for-profit companies and local agencies
- Sep 20 President Trump has asked budget chief Russ Vought to draft an order creating a board that would control which NIH research grants receive funding.
- Sep 22 The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee will hear from Heidi Overton, a 37-year-old preventive-medicine physician, about her nomination to lead the Food and Drug Administration. Overton, who served in previous Trump administrations, would become the youngest FDA head if confirmed. Lawmakers are focusing on her limited managerial background and her alignment with health-policy positions promoted by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., especially regarding the childhood vaccine schedule.
- Sep 24 Senate leaders issued a press release rejecting the White House’s plan.
- Sep 24 NIH announced the eligibility expansion for its grant programs.
- Sep 24 Overton testified before the Senate Health Committee.
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