DeLauro Statement on Destruction of CDC Through Illegal Mass Layoffs

WASHINGTON — House Appropriations Committee and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) released the following statement regarding the reduction in force at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

“OMB Director Russ Vought is continuing his vendetta against the American people—this time by firing CDC experts whose job is to protect our communities from infectious disease outbreaks and the epidemic of chronic disease. The layoffs carried out last night at CDC are not only illegal, they are dangerous. The dismantling of CDC will leave every community in this country less safe.

“CDC’s disease surveillance plays a vital role in safeguarding public health. Without it, our collective safety is at risk. Among those receiving reduction-in-force (RIF) notices are members of the Epidemic Intelligence Service, our nation’s premier disease detectives, experts in chronic disease and global health, and staff who produce the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, CDC’s flagship publication that provides information about outbreaks to the public health and medical communities. In public health, you cannot have a go-it-alone approach, which is the tact this Administration is following.

“I will continue to fight for CDC and to protect the American people.”

Yesterday, Ranking Member DeLauro released this statement on Vought’s firing of federal employees. A fact sheet detailing his years-long obsession with dismantling the federal government can be found here.

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