It has been a year of upheaval at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the federal agency long regarded as the nation’s bulwark against public health crises. By December 2025, the CDC has lost a staggering quarter to a third of its staff—amounting to thousands of employees—following a series of sweeping job cuts that have left the agency reeling and its future uncertain, according to NPR.
This wave of reductions, described by insiders as a series of "massacres," began in February with the so-called "Valentine's Day massacre," followed by the "April Fool's Day RIF" in April, and then a third round referred to as the "shutdown RIF" or "10/10." Each round of layoffs sent shockwaves through CDC offices, leaving many employees in limbo. Aryn Melton Backus, a health communications specialist, received termination emails in all three rounds but remains on administrative leave. "So we're still, you know, not doing our jobs," Backus told NPR, highlighting the chaos and uncertainty gripping the agency.
The rationale behind these cuts, according to Andrew Nixon, spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is rooted in a belief that the CDC "has been broken for a long time." Nixon stated in an email that Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is "committed to restoring it as the world's most trusted guardian of public health through sustained reform." Nixon also insisted that the CDC continues to "protect Americans from public health threats, guided by gold-standard science and common sense."
But the reality on the ground, as described by current and former CDC staffers, paints a far grimmer picture. Programs once dedicated to reducing smoking, preventing cavities, and curbing gun violence have been abruptly halted. Workers trained to respond to radiation emergencies or outbreaks causing birth defects are gone. The effect, Backus argues, is nothing short of a "public health emergency." She and other former CDC employees have banded together, organizing a response akin to how they would react to a disease outbreak. Their new initiative, the National Public Health Coalition, is attempting to gather data on what precisely has been lost. "How do we collect data on what is being lost at CDC?—because there's not a lot of transparency coming out of the administration," Backus said.
NPR reports that the HHS has declined to confirm the exact numbers or specify which programs have been cut, leaving groups like Backus’s to fill the information gap. The loss of transparency has only deepened the sense of crisis among CDC staff, many of whom are "demoralized and appalled" by recent public statements about vaccines, autism, and measles—statements they say do not reflect scientific consensus but are nonetheless issued in the agency’s name.
The exodus of experienced leadership has only compounded the problem. Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, who resigned in August as a top vaccine official, offered a bleak assessment: "I keep calling CDC, like, a zombie 'cause it's a zombie." He described the agency’s current state as a patchwork of gaps: "If you had to sort of generate a map, it would be a map that's been eaten by moths because there's just random holes." Daskalakis fears that the CDC is being reduced to a "very compact thing that does infectious disease responses, maybe some data stuff and labs. That's it."
Dr. Debra Houry, who served as the last career scientist at the CDC's highest levels before her own resignation in August, echoed these concerns. She and Daskalakis co-authored a piece in The Lancet declaring that the CDC is in "critical condition." Houry is particularly troubled by the lack of experience among the agency’s new leadership. "I really don't see how you can be overseeing priorities and objectives for the agency with zero experience in those areas," she said, referencing the need for expertise in science and collaboration with state and local health departments.
One of the most significant recent appointments is Dr. Ralph Abraham, confirmed in 2025 as the CDC’s new second-in-command. Abraham previously served as Louisiana’s surgeon general, where he made headlines for banning the state health department from promoting vaccines—an action that has alarmed many public health officials. The move, critics say, signals a departure from established public health practices and raises questions about the CDC’s future direction.
According to NPR, many of the recent changes at the CDC align closely with the Project 2025 blueprint developed by The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. Dr. Houry drew a sharp comparison: "Then I also feel like we're living in the upside-down world, with some of RFK Jr.'s statements around things like gold-standard science and radical transparency," she said, noting the irony as the agency’s ethics board was simultaneously eliminated.
The cumulative effect of these changes, former officials warn, extends far beyond the loss of jobs. The CDC, once a globally respected institution, is now struggling with a loss of public trust and a diminished capacity to protect the nation from future health crises. As Dr. Houry put it, the agency is "losing trust and the ability to protect the nation from future health crises." Programs that once served as the backbone of American public health infrastructure have vanished, and the morale among remaining staff has plummeted.
For those who have dedicated their careers to public health, the sense of loss is profound. The CDC’s reputation was built over decades, forged in the crucible of crises from polio to Ebola. Now, as it faces perhaps its greatest test, the agency is hobbled by internal turmoil, political interference, and a shrinking workforce.
The stakes could hardly be higher. With infectious diseases, chronic health threats, and environmental hazards looming, the nation’s need for a robust public health agency has rarely been greater. Yet, as the CDC’s future hangs in the balance, the path forward is anything but clear.
As the year draws to a close, the CDC’s fate remains uncertain. Its staff—those who remain—continue to work under a cloud of anxiety, while former colleagues and public health advocates warn that the agency’s ability to respond to the next crisis may be dangerously compromised. In the words of one former official, "It's not just jobs we've lost. It's trust, and the ability to protect the country when it matters most."
The story of the CDC in 2025 is one of deep institutional pain, unanswered questions, and a future that, for now, seems fraught with risk and uncertainty.
