Newly appointed senior leaders at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) tell staff they plan to increase hiring to address reduced staffing levels, according to a recording of an internal meeting reviewed by Bloomberg News. The leaders say they are focused on bringing in more personnel, including for senior roles, to relieve pressure on the agency and fill vacancies created by prior cuts.
Both outlets describe significant staffing losses over the past 18 months, with Japan Times reporting that about a quarter of CDC staff left or were cut during that period. Japan Times links the reductions to actions by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, while Bloomberg characterizes the situation as “DOGE cuts” that left the agency with a skeleton workforce.
Taken together, the reports indicate that the CDC’s current leadership is prioritizing workforce rebuilding. The meeting discussion, as reported by Bloomberg, centers on recruitment efforts rather than changes to the CDC’s public health responsibilities, and it frames hiring as a near-term step to restore capacity and staffing stability at the agency.
