HHS reinstates hundreds of CDC workers fired by DOGE
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) workers swept up in last year’s mass firing of federal workers may be getting their jobs back.
As confirmed by American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) officials, all those laid off from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in 2025 are being recalled. The employees received notices on Tuesday that they could return to work soon, albeit in some cases around nine months after their termination.
“You previously received a notice regarding the HHS reduction in force (RIF). That notice is hereby revoked; you are not affected by the RIF and remain employed in your position of record,” the email sent to employees read.
NIOSH oversees workplace safety as it pertains to public health, making recommendations to employers and regulators on how to mitigate injuries and stop the spread of contagious illnesses. To that end, it performs laboratory services and sends staff out into the field to test for common issues, such as toxic chemical exposure.
Before President Donald Trump took office, the agency had roughly 1,000 workers on its payroll. While difficult to confirm the current number given the rapid back-and-forth of layoffs and rehirings that happened in spring 2025, nearly all—some 900—of the staff at NIOSH were laid off as part of a massive downsizing at HHS.
At that time, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was looking to eliminate over 10,000 jobs from federal healthcare agencies in alignment with the agenda of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—the project spearheaded by billionaire Elon Musk, who worked at the behest of the White House to reduce the federal workforce.
In speaking to Federal News Network, Micah Niemeier-Walsh, a NIOSH employee and vice president of AFGE Local 3840—the union representing staff at the agency—said she too was laid off, but ongoing lawsuits stopped HHS from making the terminations permanent.
“My coworkers are so dedicated, and they would rather have just been working. They didn’t know, every day, am I going to get terminated tomorrow? It wasn’t nine months of a vacation. It was nine months of limbo and uncertainty,” she told the outlet.
A specific return to work date has not been announced. HealthExec reached out to HHS for comment.
The fall of DOGE
In November, it was revealed that DOGE had been shut down, months after Musk had fallen out of favor with the Trump administration. Musk officially left the agency in May, but this pet agency’s work was meant to continue.
To date, its official government website remains online, however, it seems to have gone dormant.
The White House confirmed the agency, though officially on the books, stopped operating—however, staff working with the group were transferred elsewhere within the federal government.
Chad is an award-winning writer and editor with over 15 years of experience working in media. He has a decade-long professional background in healthcare, working as a writer and in public relations.