Senator Ossoff joined onto Senator Warnock’s effort

Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock sent a letter to CDC Acting Director O’Neill demanding an answer on the agency’s plans to ensure a safe and secure environment for its employees return to work

The letter comes after a tumultuous six-week period for the public health agency, marked by a horrific violent attack at its Atlanta campus and the abrupt firing of recently confirmed CDC Director Dr. Susan Monarez

Senator Warnock has been a steadfast supporter of the CDC and its employees since morale at the agency has plummeted following baseless character attacks against agency staff by Secretary Kennedy

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) and Jon Ossoff (D-GA) pressed Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Acting Director James O’Neill for answers on the agency’s plans to ensure a safe and secure environment for its employees return to work. The letter comes after a tumultuous six-week period for the health agency, marked by a horrific violent attack at its Atlanta campus and the abrupt firing of recently confirmed CDC Director Dr. Susan Monarez.

“We write to you on behalf of the employees of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – dedicated and patriotic Georgians and our constituents – who are still reeling from a horrific attack reportedly motivated by extremist anti-vaccine ideology that occurred at the Atlanta campus on August 8, 2025. Weeks later, the CDC was plunged further into chaos with the abrupt firing of recently confirmed Director Dr. Susan Monarez and the mass resignation of senior officials objecting to Secretary Kennedy’s dangerous mismanagement,” the letter begins.

In the letter, the Senators lay out a series of actions agreed upon by more than 750 current and former staff from the CDC that outline concerns about safety and stability at the agency. The Senators ask for more accountability from Director O’Neill and urge him to act on the following six steps immediately, and before CDC staff are required to return in-person to its Atlanta campus:

1. Conduct and report to Congress in writing a thorough analysis of Health and Human Services (HHS) and CDC’s security protocols to examine any security vulnerabilities that contributed to the attack, assess any gaps or weaknesses in current security protocols and response procedures, identify any campus or facilities security deficiencies, and evaluate timely notification to employees in the case of a future security event.
   
   
2. Ensure that CDC employees, their families, and any other individuals affected by the attack have access to free trauma support and adequate mental health resources, as well as flexible remote work options where appropriate.
   
   
3. Submit to Congress an emergency supplemental funding request for any emergency funding necessary to scale up both these physical security improvements and mental health services based on your assessment of CDC safety and employee support needs described above, with an emphasis on meeting the increased security and mental health needs amid increased and politically motivated threats to agency staff.
   
   
4. Work with relevant agencies, including the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigations, to:
   
   a. Remove online material that targets or threatens the CDC federal workforce and establish additional security protocols to protect individuals targeted through these dangerous online watch lists.
   
   b. Investigate the role that misinformation and disinformation about the CDC, its work, or its workers, including the role that any disinformation or misinformation from any Administration officials, including Secretary Kennedy, had in contributing to the volatile atmosphere before this attack.
   
   c. Issue recommendations for countering CDC misinformation, CDC disinformation, and threats to the federal public health workforce.
   
   
5. Pause any terminations or restructuring of CDC divisions and staff for the remainder of the calendar year and until all investigations and analysis of this incident are complete and reported to Congress, and until all security reforms have been fully implemented.
   
   
6. Collaborate with the local CDC union, American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 2883, including by holding a town hall with members within one month, and assigning a member of HHS leadership as the primary point of contact for AFGE Local 2883 to discuss and monitor employee well-being following this horrific attack.

Last month, Senator Warnock reaffirmed his commitment to supporting Georgia’s CDC employees following the shooting at the CDC that claimed the life of a DeKalb County police officer. Senator Warnock pushed for accountability after the firing of CDC Director Monarez and the attack at the Atlanta campus in a September 5 hearing, subsequently calling on President Trump to fire Secretary Kennedy. Earlier this year, Senator Warnock voted against Secretary Kennedy to lead HHS, the agency that oversees the CDC, due to concerns over disturbing comments and long-held beliefs of Kennedy that would threaten health care costs, quality, and access for millions of Georgians and Americans. Since the CDC and its employees became a target of this administration, Senator Warnock has led several efforts defending their employment and the crucial role they play in keeping the nation safe. 

Read full text of the letter HERE and below:

Acting Director O’Neill,

We write to you on behalf of the employees of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)—dedicated and patriotic Georgians and our constituents—who are still reeling from a horrific attack reportedly motivated by extremist anti-vaccine ideology that occurred at the Atlanta campus on August 8, 2025. Weeks later, the CDC was plunged further into chaos with the abrupt firing of recently confirmed Director Dr. Susan Monarez and the mass resignation of senior officials objecting to Secretary Kennedy’s dangerous mismanagement. In the aftermath of the August 8th attack, and amidst continued chaos and plummeting morale at this key public health agency, you must take immediate action to ensure a safe and secure environment for the CDC workforce and the highly sensitive facilities they operate.

On the afternoon of Friday, August 8, 2025, a gunman fired over 500 rounds at CDC Headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, targeting multiple buildings on the Clifton campus, including buildings near the CDC’s day care. The gunman tragically killed DeKalb County Police Officer David Rose, who bravely responded to the shooting. Many other law enforcement officials from multiple jurisdictions also rushed to respond to the shooting, placing themselves in harm’s way to neutralize the threat and eventually secure the premises.

Images taken after the attack show hundreds of bullet holes in the windows of at least four CDC buildings, an eerie reminder of how close these dedicated public servants were to harm’s way. Public health workers at CDC wake up every day to protect us from unseen threats. They deserve to be and feel safe at their job.

Following the shooting, former Director Monarez addressed CDC staff, in which she warned of “the dangers of misinformation and its promulgation.” On August 25, 2025, Secretary Kennedy reportedly summoned Monarez to his office in Washington for a meeting, where he gave her an ultimatum: follow his orders that prioritized his extreme ideology over science or resign. On September 4, 2025, Secretary Kennedy testified before the Senate Finance Committee that you were present for this meeting, during which Secretary Kennedy also reportedly denigrated CDC employees, and, according to his own September 4 testimony before the Senate Finance Committee, called the agency “the most corrupt agency at HHS, and maybe the government.”

Before this meeting, on August 20, 2025, more than 750 current and former staff from your agency wrote a letter to Secretary Kennedy outlining their concerns about their safety and stability as an agency. In light of the critical mission of the CDC, the August of turbulent upheaval for the agency, and the essential role played by CDC workers, we echo the calls from hundreds of CDC staff who ask for more accountability from you and urge you to take the following steps immediately, and before you require CDC staff to return in-person to its Atlanta campus:

1. Conduct and report to Congress in writing a thorough analysis of HHS and CDC’s security protocols to examine any security vulnerabilities that contributed to this attack, assess any gaps or weaknesses in current security protocols and response procedures, identify any campus or facilities security deficiencies, and evaluate timely notification to employees in the case of a future security event.

2. Ensure that CDC employees, their families, and any other individuals affected by the attack have access to free trauma support and adequate mental health resources, as well as flexible remote work options where appropriate.

3. Submit to Congress an emergency supplemental funding request for any emergency funding necessary to scale up both these physical security improvements and mental health services based on your assessment of CDC safety and employee support needs described above, with an emphasis on meeting the increased security and mental health needs amid increased and politically motivated threats to agency staff.

4. Work with relevant agencies, including the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigations to:

a. Remove online material that targets or threatens the CDC federal workforce and establish additional security protocols to protect individuals targeted through these dangerous online watch lists.

b. Investigate the role that misinformation and disinformation about the CDC, its work, or its workers, including the role that any disinformation or misinformation from any Administration officials, including Secretary Kennedy, had in contributing to the volatile atmosphere before this attack.

c. Issue recommendations for countering CDC misinformation, CDC disinformation, and threats to the federal public health workforce.

5. Pause any terminations or restructuring of CDC divisions and staff for the remainder of the calendar year and until all investigations and analyses of this incident are complete and reported to Congress, and until all security reforms have been fully implemented.

6. Collaborate with the local CDC union, American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 2883, including by holding a town hall with members within one month, and assigning a member of HHS leadership as the primary point of contact for AFGE Local 2883 to discuss and monitor employee well-being following this horrific attack.

These steps are critical to ensure the longevity of the CDC and its work, which has spanned 80 years and 14 presidential administrations of both parties. The CDC has a long history of intervening in public health threats, from eradicating smallpox to reducing smoking rates in the U.S., lowering rates of chronic and infectious diseases.

The CDC also played a critical role in President Trump’s Operation Warp Speed, which President Trump has correctly noted saved “tens of millions of lives” during the COVID-19 pandemic. By contrast, Secretary Kennedy has denigrated the COVID-19 vaccine spurred by Operation Warp Speed as the “deadliest vaccine ever made,” undermining President Trump’s signature accomplishment. Now, as Acting Director of CDC, you must be an advocate for this important public health agency and its workers, uplifting science and evidence amidst the Secretary’s hostility.

The Georgians who work at the CDC and other federal and state public health agencies serve our nation with honor and protect us from public health threats every day. Their quiet and thankless work saves countless lives. They should not face threats or violence for carrying out their professional duties to the American people. Yet, under this administration, the CDC community has experienced incredible turmoil, unjust layoffs and illegal firings, purging of the agency’s leadership and top immunization expertise, hostility from the highest voices of this Administration and the Secretary of HHS, and constant political attacks, culminating in the violence of August 8. The nation’s premier public health agency deserves more.

We look forward to seeing you take the above-mentioned actions, as well as any additional actions to support CDC workers. Please provide a briefing on your progress by September 25, 2025.

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