Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) departments emailed 2,400 employees on the morning of April 1 to terminate their employment. A CDC employee who has worked for the organization since 2004 said some employees were only notified of their termination when they arrived at work, when key cards of laid off employees were deactivated. The employee requested anonymity over concerns about maintaining employment. Public Broadcasting Service reported that some employees arrived at work to find their badges did not work.
Community members, employees, friends and family of CDC staff gathered in front of the CDC building on Clifton Road NE on the afternoon of April 1. The protest began at about 3:30 p.m. and reached about 150 protestors at its peak, with protestors hoisting signs that proclaimed “Save the CDC” and “CDC cuts cost lives” for over three hours.
That same morning, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the firing of these 2,400 CDC employees. This follows U.S. President Donald Trump’s February announcement to cut 10% of the CDC’s workforce.
Emory University and the CDC share a close partnership in conducting infectious disease and prevention research for various public health initiatives. The CDC has given the University $180 million in research funding over the past 10 years.
A second CDC employee who requested anonymity to protect her employment mentioned their initial reactions to the layoffs when she arrived at work that morning.
“It’s just like it’s not even real,” the employee said. “I feel like I’m just in this horrible nightmare.”
Assistant Professor of Biology Chris Rodgers said he was concerned about the future of scientific research at the CDC and Emory.
“Everybody who works in science or cares about science should be very concerned,” Rodgers said. “There’s people who have already had their grants cut for important work, including at Emory.”
Lauren Owens (14PH), a CDC employee in the Division of Overdose Prevention, warned layoffs in programs, such as for pregnancy monitoring and smoking prevention, have the potential to cause deaths across the country.
“It’s just devastating because we know that these programs, it’s like a spider web or like a big safety net,” Owens said. “Any one part might not be the only thing that’s holding up the country, but together, we ensure the safety and health of the nation.”
Moreover, Owens expressed her concerns that the layoffs would have ripple effects on the local job market because she knows many former CDC employees who live in DeKalb County.
“It's really, really awful to now know that people, they've been offered two months of administrative leave, but come June 2, this will be people who don't know how to pay their rent, don't know how to get their groceries, don't know where their health insurance is coming from,” Owens said.
The announcements employees received came from HHS and not the CDC, according to Owens. She added that her center director claimed to disagree with the decision to lay off employees.
A third CDC employee, who requested anonymity to protect their employment, said that these firings represent a larger encroachment on the public health field. The employee said these changes in the CDC have brought morale to a low.
“As a whole, the public health field really feels on attack right now,” the employee said. “A lot of the partnerships and a lot of the grants that come through HHS will also have an impact on how health departments do their work, on how NGOs do their work.”
Elijah Brawner (26T) said that although the protest may not have a large impact on policy, he hopes employees leaving work see the solidarity and know they are supported. He also said the work of the CDC is important to not only the world at large but even his own family.
“I have immunocompromised family,” Brawner said. “I have family with rare illnesses. And so if it weren’t for the CDC, I might not have as much family as I do.”
Barbara Masterson, who came to the event to protest the recent firings, said the purpose of the protest was to support the mission of the CDC and its employees. Masterson said despite political differences, historically public health has been a bipartisan issue, until now. The protestors stood until 5:30 p.m. as cars honked to show support as they drove by.
“We’re here to support the employees but even more so to support the institution, and the work of the institution and the health of America,” Masterson said.
Jacob Muscolino (he/him) (28C) is an assistant news editor at The Emory Wheel. He is from Long Island and plans to major in History and East Asian Studies. Outside of the Wheel, he is involved in Emory Reads and Emory Economics Review. You can often find Jacob watching the newest blockbuster for his Letterboxd, dissecting The New York Times and traveling to the next destination on his bucket list.
