CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report Staff Cut as Shutdown Firings Expand
Washington, D.C. – Staff supporting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) were among those terminated Friday as the Trump management implemented widespread federal employee layoffs amid the ongoing government shutdown. The administration stated the cuts targeted programs it characterized as “Democrat” initiatives, according to remarks made by the president, who has blamed Democratic lawmakers for the shutdown’s continuation.
The firings at the CDC represent a significant disruption to the agency’s core function of disseminating critical public health details. MMWR is a leading source of data and analysis for public health professionals, clinicians, and researchers, providing timely reports on disease outbreaks, health trends, and public health interventions. Reduced staffing threatens the report’s publication schedule and capacity to respond to emerging health crises.
According to STAT News reporting, the terminations are part of a broader wave of layoffs impacting federal workers. President Trump has publicly attributed the shutdown to disagreements with Democratic party members.The CDC did not instantly respond to requests for comment regarding the specific number of MMWR staff affected or the anticipated impact on the report’s operations.
The government shutdown began December 22, 2018, after Congress failed to pass funding legislation. It is indeed the longest shutdown in U.S. history, impacting hundreds of thousands of federal employees and disrupting numerous government services. The MMWR, typically published weekly, provides crucial data used for disease surveillance, outbreak investigations, and informing public health policy. Disruptions to its publication could hinder efforts to track and control infectious diseases and address other pressing public health concerns.
