Donald Trump and RFK, Jr. have wasted no time in digging the CDC’s grave.
In a move reported today by multiple reputable news outlets (including CBS, NPR, and Fortune) the Department of Health and Human Services has ordered the CDC to eliminate nearly 1,300 probationary workers at the federal agency, decimating the agency’s workforce.
Probationary workers include those workers who are recent hires, as well as long-time workers who were promoted into more senior positions, including management roles.
The firings represent about 10% of the agency’s workforce and include almost one half of the CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) Officers—the agency’s “disease detectives.”
The EIS firings will drastically impact the ability of the CDC to track the source of disease outbreaks, including foodborne diseases.
The CDC has not issued any news release about the firings. In fact, the CDC has not issued a news release on any topic since January 10, 2025.
It is safe to say that this is only the beginning.
In addition to these layoffs, the Trump/RFK administration has imposed restrictions on what research may be undertaken at the CDC and placed an embargo (“for the time being”) on submission of papers to scientific journals by CDC scientists, according to NPR.
Sadly, we can no longer rely upon the CDC for timely news of foodborne disease (or any other kind of disease) outbreaks.
While eFoodAlert cannot substitute for the CDC, I promise that we shall do our best to share whatever news is available.
I pledge to monitor all state departments of health and departments of agriculture websites and to communicate in a timely fashion any news that impacts the safety of the US consumers, especially as it relates to the food supply.
I call on all other news outlets to do the same.
eFoodAlert 