Following a months-long pressure campaign from Senator Reverend Warnock, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reportedly reinstating more than 400 people who were unfairly fired

The news follows previous successful efforts by Senator Warnock to pressure the administration to reinstate CDC probationary staff and fellows who work on public health threats

Senator Reverend Warnock: “I have been pressuring this administration for months to reinstate unfairly fired workers at the CDC so they can continue doing the critical work of keeping our families and communities safe from infectious diseases and other public health crises. I’m glad they have heard our calls to reverse course”

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) released the following statement regarding his successful efforts to push the Trump Administration to rehire unfairly fired workers at the Georgia-based CDC:

“The rehiring of hundreds of dedicated health workers, many of whom call Georgia home, is welcome news for those of us who believe that public health is vital to our wellbeing and safety—not a political game. I have been pressuring this administration for months to reinstate unfairly fired workers at the CDC so they can continue doing the critical work of keeping our families and communities safe from infectious diseases and other public health crises. I’m glad they have heard our calls to reverse course and have seen the results of their reckless mistakes and rehired some of these workers. But we must remain vigilant, because this administration is determined to dismantle our public health system, which ensures our food and water are safe, our brave servicemembers stay healthy when serving abroad, and top researchers have the resources they need to combat heart disease, maternal mortality, cancer, and diabetes. I will continue to call for all these unjustly fired workers to be rehired,” said Senator Reverend Warnock.

Last month during a Senate Finance Committee hearing, Senator Warnock demanded answers from the nominee to be the Deputy Secretary at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) about the wrongful firings of high-performing public health experts. In April 2025, Senator Warnock rallied in the streets of Atlanta with current and former employees of the CDC to show support for the Georgians who have been callously fired from their life-saving work at the public health institution. In March 2025, Senator Warnock successfully pressured the administration to reinstate CDC probationary staff and fellows who work on public health threats. Last year, the Senator visited the CDC in Atlanta, Georgia for the first time as Senator to learn about the agency’s efforts to protect public health, including work to combat the maternal mortality crisis and how federal funding plays a role in keeping Georgia and the country safe from infectious diseases. During Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy’s nomination hearing in committee, Senator Warnock spoke at length defending the importance of the CDC which employs over 10,000 hardworking Georgians. Shortly after, the Senator spoke for nearly an hour on the Senate floor, in large part in defense of the CDC’s critical work to defend public health and national security. The Senator continued to pressure HHS Secretary Kennedy to reverse the CDC firings.

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