One week after a deadly shooting at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) campus in Atlanta, the shockwaves continue to ripple through the agency’s workforce, who are grappling not just with grief and fear, but also with a sense of abandonment from national leaders. The attack, which unfolded on August 8, 2025, left DeKalb County Police Officer David Rose dead, six CDC buildings riddled with bullet holes, and hundreds of employees forced into lockdown. The shooter, 30-year-old Patrick White, died by his own hand at the scene. Authorities later discovered that White had been nursing grievances about the COVID-19 vaccine for years, believing it had harmed his health and leaving behind written evidence of his intent to make his anger known, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), as reported by ABC News.
For many inside the CDC, the incident was a grim realization of long-held fears. Jessica Rogers-Brown, an epidemiologist with seven years at the agency, told ABC News, “I think the environment has been set up for something like this to happen. But this is far worse than I feared.” Rogers-Brown, who works in one of the buildings struck by gunfire, emphasized she was speaking personally, not on behalf of the CDC. She described walking past bullet holes to retrieve equipment so she could work from home while repairs were underway. “We really are at a turning point of what can happen,” she said. “We can start to right the ship, or we can keep going down this road and wonder if, next time, I’m going to be triaging the gunshot wound of a colleague. And what will make the difference will be the voices of our leaders that have the microphone.”
That need for strong leadership and public support has become an urgent refrain among CDC staff. Many employees expressed frustration that President Donald Trump had not issued a public statement about the attack on federal property. They also criticized Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.)—who oversees the CDC and has a long history of vaccine skepticism—for what they saw as a tepid response. “He never even sent an email to us until this past Saturday and never visited our campus until this week,” a CDC scientist told ABC News, requesting anonymity out of fear for their safety and job security. “I don’t even know how to feel with the lack of words from the White House and RFK victim-shaming us.”
RFK Jr., who became HHS Secretary after a presidential run marked by anti-vaccine rhetoric, had previously called the COVID-19 vaccine the “deadliest vaccine ever made” and pledged to “clean up the cesspool of corruption at CDC” on social media. Following the shooting, Kennedy sent an email to CDC staff offering prayers and acknowledging the incident was “unsettling.” On August 11, he visited the CDC campus, met with senior leaders, and comforted Officer Rose’s widow. In a public post, he described the shooting as “heartbreaking.” Later that day, in a Scripps News interview, Kennedy stated, “CDC workers should not be the targets of this kind of violence from anybody” and called political violence “always wrong.” However, when pressed about addressing misinformation that may have fueled the attack, Kennedy shifted focus, saying, “We have to ask, why are people not believing the public health agencies? And the answer, I think, is pretty elementary: That the public health agencies have not been honest.”
Some CDC staffers felt Kennedy’s words fell short. Rogers-Brown called for Kennedy to make it clear that “public servants are not the enemy” and “CDC workers are humans.” She said she wouldn’t feel safe returning to the office until leadership publicly and unequivocally condemned violence against public health workers as forcefully as Kennedy had criticized the agency’s pandemic response.
HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon defended Kennedy’s actions, telling ABC News that the Secretary “has unequivocally condemned the horrific attack and remains fully committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of CDC employees.” Nixon described Kennedy’s trip to Atlanta as evidence of a swift and decisive response, insisting that “any suggestion of a delay is simply not supported by the facts.” He added, “The Secretary’s presence and outreach underscore his commitment to the CDC community and public health workforce. This is a time to stand in solidarity with our public health workforce, not a moment for the media to exploit a tragedy for political gain.”
The White House, for its part, has not issued a direct statement from President Trump. However, spokesperson Kush Desai told ABC News, “The safety and security of government employees, whether in Washington, D.C. or Atlanta, Georgia -- is the topmost priority of the Administration. Violence has no place in any civil society, and the White House extends our heartfelt condolences to the family of Officer David Rose and the entire CDC team.”
Inside the CDC, the emotional toll is mounting. Another longtime employee, with nearly two decades of experience in public health communications, described the current atmosphere as the most fearful she’s ever witnessed. She pointed to Kennedy’s recent reorganization efforts, which resulted in the mass firing of around 10,000 HHS employees and the elimination of several CDC programs—moves he defended as “reducing bureaucratic sprawl.” “It was an overwhelming grief to watch what was unfolding with public health and how it was going to affect people’s lives,” she said. “But it is very personal now.” She added, “The vilification of federal workers is astounding, and people are forgetting ... that we’re human beings. We’re parents and friends and mothers and daughters. You know, we’re just like everyone else.”
Kennedy’s tenure has been marked by dramatic shifts in vaccine policy. Since taking office, he has ended recommendations for COVID-19 vaccination for healthy children and pregnant women. Earlier this month, he canceled $500 million in federal funding for mRNA vaccine research, terminating contracts with pharmaceutical companies and universities. In a video posted to social media, Kennedy declared, “After reviewing the science and consulting top experts at NIH and FDA, HHS has determined that mRNA technology poses more risk than benefits for these respiratory viruses.”
These moves have alarmed much of the scientific community. According to the CDC’s own website and statements from independent experts, mRNA vaccines have been studied for decades, and robust clinical and real-world evidence demonstrates their safety and effectiveness. Serious adverse events after COVID-19 vaccination remain rare, contradicting Kennedy’s claims. In May 2021, before joining the Trump administration, Kennedy filed a petition with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to revoke authorization for all COVID-19 vaccines, repeating his assertion that they were the “deadliest vaccine ever made.”
CDC Director Dr. Susan Monarez addressed employees directly on August 13, offering reassurance and a promise of support. “You are resourceful, resilient and strong, and we will make sure you have the resources, the protection, the support you need to keep doing the work you do,” she said in a brief all-staff call. Later, she sent a note to the agency’s more than 10,000 employees, warning, “the dangers of misinformation and its promulgation has now led to deadly consequences.” Monarez pledged, “I will work to restore trust in public health to those who have lost it -- through science, evidence, and clarity of purpose.”
For now, many CDC staffers remain in a state of anxiety and uncertainty, their sense of mission tempered by fears for their safety and a longing for unequivocal support from those at the very top. As the agency continues to recover from the trauma, the question lingers: what will it take for public health workers to feel truly protected in an era of mounting hostility?