RFK Brought Back 722 CDC Employees

On Tuesday, Reuters reported U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK) said that he has rehired 942 employees who were laid off from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The CDC had 722 employees rehired, while NIH had 220.

RFK acknowledged these employees were brought back because they are needed for the agencies to perform their jobs. Earlier this year, RFK said he would rebuild the nation’s health agencies, which included cutting 10,000 jobs to the Food and Drug Administration, CDC, and NIH. His previous plans included cutting 2,400 CDC employees and 1,200 NIH before he announced the rehires.

RFK made these comments during a hearing to review his health-related spending plans under President Donald Trump’s budget proposal. Trump’s budget currently includes an US$18 billion cut to NIH funding and $3.6 billion from the CDC.