HHS reinstates 450+ CDC workers after initial layoffs under Trump’s efficiency reforms, focusing on public health resilience.

Key Public Health Divisions Rebuild Workforce

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is reinstating more than 450 previously laid-off employees across four operational divisions within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an HHS official confirmed. The move marks the latest adjustment following the Trump administration’s sweeping personnel reductions aimed at overhauling federal health operations.

The affected divisions include the National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and Tuberculosis Prevention (NCHHSTP), the National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH), the Immediate Office of the Director (IOD), and the Global Health Center (GHC). Each division will recover a portion of its former workforce as HHS recalibrates staffing in line with operational needs.

NCHHSTP will see the largest group of reinstated employees, with 214 individuals returning. This center includes several units such as the Division of HIV Prevention, which reports indicate was reduced by half during the initial restructuring. NCEH will follow with 158 reinstatements, rebuilding teams such as the previously eliminated Division of Environmental Health Science and Practice.

Meanwhile, IOD will reintegrate 71 staff members, and the Global Health Center will welcome back 24 employees. These restorations are part of a broader federal effort to fine-tune restructuring outcomes introduced by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which prompted up to 10,000 layoffs across HHS and related agencies earlier in Trump’s second term.

Strategic Corrections and Operational Continuity

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. addressed the changes in April, acknowledging the complexity of the cuts. “Personnel that should not have been cut, were cut,” Kennedy told CBS News. “We're reinstating them. And that was always the plan. We talked about this from the beginning – 80% cuts, but 20% of those are going to have to be reinstated, because we'll make mistakes.”

This latest rehiring effort follows earlier moves to restore staffing at the CDC’s World Trade Center Health Program, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and the National Institutes of Health. Additional federal agencies, including the Internal Revenue Service, the Food and Drug Administration, the State Department, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, have made similar post-reduction corrections.

HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon emphasized the administration’s commitment to essential services. “Under Secretary Kennedy’s leadership, the nation’s critical public health functions remain intact and effective,” Nixon said. “The Trump administration is committed to protecting essential services – whether it’s supporting coal miners and firefighters through NIOSH, safeguarding public health through lead prevention, or researching and tracking the most prevalent communicable diseases.”

Nixon added that while streamlining operations remains a goal, it will not come at the cost of vital capabilities. “Enhancing the health and well-being of all Americans remains our top priority,” he stated.

The rehiring of these employees signals an ongoing effort by the Trump administration to balance workforce efficiency with the need to sustain robust public health infrastructure. With staff returning to mission-critical roles, the administration aims to reinforce CDC operations without reversing broader reform goals.