The CDC mistakenly issued layoff notices to over 1,000 employees, including top disease experts and critical response units, amid a broader federal job purge ordered during a government shutdown.

Critics, including some Republican senators, condemned these layoffs as unnecessary and reckless, arguing they undermine public health security and preparedness.

The layoffs have severely damaged morale and operational capacity at the CDC, leading to notable resignations and raising concerns about the agency's ability to respond to ongoing health threats like measles resurgence and recent attacks on CDC facilities.

Many of those laid off held vital roles in infectious disease surveillance, outbreak response, vaccine policy, and global health, including the entire CDC Global Health Center and the Epidemic Intelligence Service.

By the following day, officials confirmed that some layoffs were sent 'in error' and would be reversed, especially for staff working on measles, Ebola, and outbreak coordination, though details on the number and timing of reversals remain unclear.

The layoffs were part of a larger effort to cut over 4,000 government jobs across multiple departments, aiming to reduce government size and eliminate what the administration called 'wasteful' entities, despite bipartisan criticism.

This incident has raised alarms about political interference in science and the long-term impact of destabilizing the CDC's core functions, with experts fearing such disruptions could hinder future outbreak responses and disease monitoring.