Things within the Trump administration seem to have become more chaotic day by day! In a recent move, the Trump administration has fired the whole CDC team responsible for studying outbreaks of sexually transmitted diseases and hepatitis. This decision was made by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who dissolved the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s laboratories tasked with responding to such outbreaks.
Staff were unexpectedly informed that the layoff is part of a broader reduction of 10,000 jobs within the Department of Health and Human Services. These layoffs have sparked immense angst among workers who have been affected. Moreover, The mass layoffs extend beyond the CDC.
As per The Irish Star, National Security Agency Director Timothy Haugh and Deputy Director Wendy Noble were also affected by the downsizing. Noble has been reassigned to a role within the Pentagon’s Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence.
However, the main reason for the dissolution remains unknown, with the higher authorities also kept in the dark.
Meanwhile, US Cyber Command deputy William Hartmann has been named acting NSA director, and Sheila Thomas has been named as acting deputy.
As per ABC News, Connecticut Representative Jim Himes, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, expressed concern over the removal. He claimed that Officer Haugh was a good leader who was committed to this duty.
Jim Himes demanded an immediate explanation and highlighted that such a hasty decision by the Trump administration hampered the country’s safety. Other reps, like Greg Landsman, highlighted the gravity of the situation.
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This news of the dissolution comes right after the Trump administration began sending out termination notices early in the morning for the workers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This sudden news of mass firings comes after a significant measles outbreak in Western Texas.
The workers were sent last-minute emails that stated that employees’ building access was cut off starting April 1. Critics such as Splinter Deputy Editor Dave Levitan have called the move “incredibly stupid and awful.”
The mass firings targeted doctors, scientists, and other employees from several departments, including staff in several sectors starting from the Division of Environmental Health Science and Practice (DEHSP), Division of Population Health, Division of HIV Prevention, and Division of Reproductive Health before receiving a reduction in force (RIF) notices before they even came to work.
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Besides, a federal judge temporarily stopped President Trump’s team from cutting $11 billion in COVID-19-related public health funding. The judge’s order came after a lawsuit from 23 states, and it temporarily stopped the funding cuts that would have impacted vital programs.
These judges who passed orders against Trump’s decision have received threats from individuals or groups that appear to support Trump and his radical ideologies. These include bomb threats, scary prank calls, and much more. Amidst all the issues, several people have claimed that America is heading to become a potential authoritarian state.
The future appears unclear and definitely prone to more causes of conflict in the coming days. Let us know your thoughts as we find a way to observe everything we just told you!
