Doctors are reeling at mass firings at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this morning, even as the nation prepares for its worst measles outbreak in recent history.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that the Trump administration began sending outtermination notices through emails at dawn, hitting whole branches of the agency, targeting doctors and scientists among other employees. WIRED reports the effects rippled across the CDC as workers in theDivision of Environmental Health Science and Practice (DEHSP), the Division of Population Health, the Division of HIV Prevention, the Division of Reproductive Health, National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, and National Center for Injury Prevention and Control began receiving reduction in force (RIF) notices before employees arrived at work.
Physician and Infectious Diseases Specialist Boghuma Titanji announced on Bluesky: "Today is the day the CDC was essentially dissolved.”
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Theoretical Cosmology and Particle Physics Associate Professor Chandra Prescod-Weinstein was similarly alarmed: “If you thought COVID sucked, wait until the next one. Wait until our gains on HIV start to reverse. Wait for it because people are going to die.”
“I am an expert in the thing I am about to say: The Trump regime dismantling CDC will kill countless disabled, chronically ill, and immunocompromised Americans,” said lawyer and advocate Matthew Cortland, who is immunocompromised. “This is not policy, this is not governance — this is eugenics, this is murder.”
Letters hitting inboxes in the early hours made clear who was behind the mass firings, according to WIRED. The memorandum cited theFebruary 11 executive order from President Donald Trump titled “Implementing the President's ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ Workforce Optimization Initiative.”
“I regret to inform you that you are being affected by a reduction in force (RIF) action,” the email told employees. “This RIF does not reflect directly on your service, performance, or conduct. It is being taken solely for the reasons stated in the memorandum.”
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The letter added that recipients’ access to the building ended Tuesday morning, on April Fool’s Day, unless “directed otherwise by your leadership.”
Critics like Splinter Deputy Editor Dave Levitan also blasted the move, writing: “It is not a useful sentiment I know but I kinda just can't believe they are doing such incredibly stupid, damaging, awful s---, all the time.”
Meanwhile the measles outbreak in western Texas continues to grow, according to reports, with 22 new cases confirmed over the last five days. This brings the total number of cases for the state up to422. Children and teenagers between ages 5 and 17 make up the majority of cases,with additional cases likely unreported in outbreak areas and in surrounding communities.
Just before DOGE ransacked the CDC, the agencywas recommending all travelers get fully vaccinated against measles before traveling to an international destination.READ MORE: 'Uncharted waters': Trump 'playing with fire' as Dems force GOP senators into 'uncomfortable vote'