At Building 21 of the CDC in Atlanta, employees operate under a climate of fear and secrecy, largely due to the significant changes brought by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge). Since Kennedy’s appointment, over 10,000 experienced staff have been fired, leading to feelings of chaos and anxiety among the remaining workforce. Reports indicate that critical health programs and longstanding research efforts are being dismantled under the guise of efficiency reforms—an approach criticized as damaging and anti-scientific.
Kennedy’s administration, characterized by firings and policy resets, has disrupted health priorities and jeopardized programs aimed at chronic disease prevention. His controversial decision to dismiss all members of the advisory committee on immunization practices has raised alarms about the future of vaccine recommendations, particularly amid claims that vaccines are being politicized. Staff describe a lack of resources, leading to efforts to scavenge supplies from fired colleagues, and highlight an increase in bureaucratic hurdles that have made grant management more complicated.
Despite Kennedy’s claims of necessary reform, sources within the agencies argue that the changes are detrimental to public health and scientific integrity. As uncertainty looms over the CDC, FDA, and NIH, many former employees express reluctance to return, citing a fundamental clash of values with the current administration. The atmosphere is marked by a pervasive sense of distrust and concern for future public health outcomes.
