The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been caught up in the Trump White House’s efforts to slash federal employment. The Associated Press’s Mike Stobbe reported on Friday morning, February 14, that “Nearly 1,300 probationary employees at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — roughly one-tenth of the agency’s workforce — are being forced out under the Trump administration’s move to get rid of all probationary employees.” In the federal government, any employee on the job for less than a year—less than two years in some cases—have probationary status. Also, worth noting is that employees who have been promoted, are on probationary status in their new positions for at least a year.
Stobbe wrote that “The Atlanta-based agency’s leadership was notified of the decision Friday morning. The verbal notice came from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in a meeting with CDC leaders, according to a federal official who was at the meeting. The official was not authorized to discuss it and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The affected employees are supposed to receive four weeks paid administrative leave, the official said, adding that it wasn’t clear when individual workers would receive notice. HHS officials did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment,” he added.
“With a $9.2 billion core budget, the CDC is charged with protecting Americans from outbreaks and other public health threats. Before the cuts, the agency had about 13,000 employees, including more than 2,000 staff working in other countries. Historically CDC has been seen as a global leader on disease control and a reliable source of health information, boasting some of the top experts in the world,” Stobbe noted, adding that “The staff is heavy with scientists – 60 percent have master's degrees or doctorates. Most of the workforce does not belong to a union.”
Stobbe quoted Joshua Barocas, M.D., an infectious diseases expert at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, who spoke to reporters Friday morning during a call sponsored by the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA), the Arlington, Va.-based association of healthcare professionals focused on infectious diseases. Dr. Barocas told the assembled press that many of the probationary-status CDC employees are filling vital roles.
"It's essentially assuming that they are not in a job that is crucial for the success of keeping everyone safe -- just because they've been there for less than a year or less than 6 moths," he said. "That sort of slash-and-burn approach is what will cause continued disruptions in our understanding of diseases" and disease outbreaks.
Janette Wider | Editor-in-Chief
Janette Wider is Editor-in-Chief for Healthcare Purchasing News.
