US Government Shutdown Sparks More Federal Layoffs Amid CDC Rehiring Reversals

The ongoing US government shutdown has escalated with new waves of federal workforce reductions announced, while the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reinstated hundreds of employees after mistakenly firing them.

Vice President JD Vance warned Sunday that more painful staffing cuts are expected if the shutdown persists beyond its current second week. “The longer this shutdown lasts, the deeper the cuts will be,” Vance said, blaming Democrats for what he called “hostage-taking” tactics leading to a government standstill. Over 4,000 federal workers in multiple departments, including Treasury, Homeland Security, and Health and Human Services (HHS), have already received layoff notices or termination letters as part of the administration’s “reduction-in-force” strategy to shrink the federal government workforce.

Despite the layoffs, the Trump administration pledged to continue paying the military and maintain some essential public services. However, many civil service employees faced diminished paychecks and uncertainty over their livelihoods. The government shutdown has furloughed about 40% of federal workers, impacting roughly 750,000 employees nationwide.

Adding to the turmoil, the CDC reinstated nearly 700 workers out of approximately 1,300 who had been recently notified of layoffs. The agency cited a “coding error” as the cause of the mass firings, which disrupted crucial public health operations amid rising disease outbreaks, including a significant measles surge unseen in 25 years. Hundreds of affected CDC employees included disease surveillance experts and other key scientific personnel vital to national health security.

As political leaders remain deadlocked over federal spending and shutdown resolution, millions of Americans face continued uncertainty with essential government functions hampered. The Trump administration continues to use workforce reductions as leverage in negotiations, signaling that more federal job cuts could be imminent if Congress fails to reach an agreement soon.