CDC Has Lost Over 3,000 Staff, Leaving Funded Programs Without People to Run Them

NewsData.io · United States · Aug 21, 2026

New CDC Director Erica Schwartz acknowledged in her first all-hands meeting that the agency has shed more than 3,000 employees—over a quarter of its workforce—through layoffs and resignations, leaving congressionally funded programs effectively unstaffed. Schwartz described 'zombie' programs that hold appropriations but cannot function due to workforce reductions, and said she would meet with staff to assess the damage, but offered no hiring timelines or specific remedies. The staffing crisis has real implications for public health capacity including outbreak response and laboratory operations, areas where state and local health departments—key staffing agency clients—may face increased hiring pressure to fill gaps.