Two years into the second Trump Administration, the halls of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta are near unrecognizable.
The agency has been battered by funding cuts, program shutdowns and employee furloughs and layoffs, creating uncertainty about the future for one of the world's leading health organizations.
Now, some scientists, administrators and staff are choosing to remove themselves from the equation.
Between March 2025 and May 2026, the CDC's overall workforce has decreased by 30%, stretching across divisions, offices and job fields, according to a new report from the American Federation of Government Employees, a union representing CDC workers.
But rather than changes coming from the top, and Health and Human Services
Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., many employees are choosing to leave on their own.
Here's what we learned from the AFGA report.
Hundreds of CDC employees leave agency in last year
Over the course of 14 months, an estimated 3,539 "separations" took place within the agency, accounting for layoffs, retirements and those who quit.
It brought the estimated workforce from 12,705 employees to just 9,166, the union said.
When adding in those who have been placed on administrative leave and are not working, but have not yet been fully let go, there is a total 30% reduction in the workforce, leaving 8,895 active employees.
Nearly half of employees lost left on their own terms. A total of 857 employees took voluntary retirement during that period, while another 837 employees quit.
Another 642 employees were terminated or their appointments expired, the union said. A combined 843 employees were considered "RIF-affected," or those who were impacted by "reduction in force" actions.
On top of that, 216 employees opted for an early retirement to leave the CDC.
"This is not normal," the AFGE Local 2883 said. "CDC lost staff at more than 1.5 (time) the federal rate over the same period."
Here are the top five centers with the largest workforce losses:
- Office of Human Resources: 320 employees, 98% of workforcee
- National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health: 312 employees, 30% of workforce
- National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion: 303 employees, 48% of workforce
- Global Health Center: 301 employees, 28% of workforce
- National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases: 281 employees, 17% of workforce
Impacted CDC staff call Atlanta home
American public health and the city of Atlanta have been intrinsically tied to one another for decades, as both the home of the CDC as well as other public health groups like the Carter Center, the American Cancer Society and the Task Force for Global Health. It also hosts medical schools at Emory and Morehouse, both with public health programs.
Then known as the Communicable Disease Center, the now-CDC was founded in 1946 to help military members at Southern bases stay safe from malaria, later growing to include other communicable diseases and health-related issues like smoking and bioterror.
Many public health officials from around the world moved to Atlanta to work within these agencies, and made their home in the city for decades before their positions were eliminated last year or they made the choice to leave the agency.
Some former CDC employees have transitioned to work in other public health sectors, according to the New York Times, but it's unclear if they would ever bring their wealth of knowledge back to the government agency should a new administration attempt to rebuild federal programs.
Irene Wright is the Atlanta Connect reporter with USA Today’s Deep South Connect team. Find her on X @IreneEWright or email her at ismith@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Union report finds CDC has lost third of workforce in last year
