On September 16, 2025, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) abruptly announced an indefinite pause on approving telework requests as reasonable accommodations for employees with disabilities, a move that has ignited a fierce backlash from federal employee unions and disability advocates. The announcement, delivered via an internal memo obtained by Federal News Network and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, comes as the CDC seeks clarification on a newly updated Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) telework policy that went into effect just weeks earlier, on August 13.
For many CDC employees, especially those living with disabilities, the news landed like a thunderclap. According to the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Locals 2883 and 3840, which represent CDC staff, “This represents the most sweeping civil rights violation against federal employees in decades.” The union’s statement, released on September 17, cut to the heart of the controversy: “No CDC employee with a disability will have the option of telework as a reasonable accommodation.”
To understand the roots of this decision, one must look back to January 2025, when President Donald Trump signed an executive order instructing all federal agencies to terminate remote work arrangements and return employees to their duty stations for full-time, in-person work. The order did allow for exemptions at the discretion of agency heads, particularly for employees with disabilities, qualifying medical conditions, military spouses, or other compelling reasons. Yet, as AFGE argues, the CDC has fallen short in processing such reasonable accommodation requests. “There is no evidence that CDC is formally processing reasonable accommodations requests at all,” the union asserted, noting that “many members have been waiting since March 2025 to receive updates on a formal decision regarding their [reasonable accommodation] request.”
The new HHS policy, which the CDC is now referencing, only briefly addresses reasonable accommodations—and then solely in the context of precluding travel to an agency worksite. This ambiguity prompted the CDC’s Office of Human Resources to seek further clarification. In the meantime, the agency decided to pause all approvals for long-term telework, including those for employees with disabilities, until further notice. The CDC’s memo to staff did not specify an end date for this suspension, leaving many employees in limbo.
Unions are not taking the decision lightly. The AFGE has called for an immediate reversal, arguing that the pause violates both the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act, laws designed to protect the rights of workers with disabilities. “HHS and CDC have already failed disabled employees for more than five months by refusing to formally process reasonable accommodation requests—another clear violation of federal law that requires timely processing,” the union charged. The unions are now exploring “every legal remedy and recourse” to challenge the CDC’s suspension, according to statements provided to both Federal News Network and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
For employees who already have approved telework accommodations, there’s a small measure of relief: they can continue working remotely until their arrangements expire. But for those still awaiting decisions—or for anyone needing to request new accommodations—the future is uncertain. The union warns that once temporary accommodations end, employees with disabilities could face retaliatory discrimination, disciplinary action, or loss of essential workplace supports. “Additionally, employees with disabilities are at risk of retaliatory discrimination, disciplinary actions, and loss of essential workplace accommodations,” AFGE stated.
The timing of the CDC’s decision has only added to the turmoil. The agency had just reopened its Atlanta headquarters in August, following a harrowing attack on August 8, when a gunman fired more than 180 rounds at the building. According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the gunfire lasted about 35 minutes, shattering blast-resistant glass and sending shards flying up to 50 feet. Officer David Rose with DeKalb police was killed while responding to the scene. The trauma of the attack still lingers for many CDC employees. As of mid-September, staff who volunteered to return were being brought back gradually, with heightened security and a sense of unease hanging over the workplace.
The broader context is one of upheaval and uncertainty within both the CDC and its parent agency, HHS. In August, HHS moved to “de-recognize” its federal unions and cancel all collective bargaining agreements, following orders from the White House. This step further strained relations between agency leadership and the workforce, particularly as employees grapple with the new telework restrictions. Leadership changes and high-profile resignations have rocked both agencies in recent months, adding to a sense of instability.
CDC officials maintain that they are simply following the rules. An HHS spokesperson told Federal News Network that the CDC is adhering to the new department policy and President Trump’s executive order. “The CDC is currently adhering to the new department policy, as well as President Donald Trump’s return-to-office order from January,” the spokesperson said. The executive order requires agencies to “take all necessary steps to terminate remote work arrangements and require employees to return to work in-person at their respective duty stations on a full-time basis, provided that the department and agency heads shall make exemptions they deem necessary.”
Yet, for many employees and advocates, these assurances ring hollow. The unions argue that the CDC’s blanket pause on telework accommodations directly contradicts the executive order’s provision for exemptions and the legal requirement to process accommodation requests in a timely manner. The lack of transparency and communication has only deepened frustration among staff. “Many members have been waiting since March 2025 to receive updates on a formal decision regarding their [reasonable accommodation] request,” the AFGE noted, emphasizing the emotional toll of the prolonged uncertainty.
The controversy at the CDC is emblematic of a larger national debate over the future of telework in the federal government. The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated that many jobs could be performed effectively from home, and telework became a lifeline for employees with disabilities or health concerns. Now, as agencies roll back remote work options, questions loom about how to balance operational needs with the rights and well-being of workers. Advocates warn that limiting telework for people with disabilities could lead to diminished diversity, lower morale, and even legal battles.
For now, the fate of CDC employees seeking telework as a reasonable accommodation hangs in the balance. The unions representing them are vowing to pursue every possible legal avenue to restore their rights. As the CDC waits for further guidance from HHS, employees—especially those with disabilities—are left to wonder when, or if, their needs will be addressed.
The coming weeks will be crucial, as legal challenges mount and pressure builds on agency leadership to find a solution that respects both operational requirements and the civil rights of employees. For many at the CDC, the hope is that this pause will be short-lived, and that the promise of reasonable accommodation will not become another casualty of shifting federal policy.
