CDC, NIH Staff Protest Trump Administration Chaos

Dozens of current and former CDC employees rallied outside the agency’s Atlanta headquarters yesterday over Trump Administration-inspired chaos affecting the health agency. The protest came one day after 342 current and recently fired NIH employees posted a letter criticizing the administration’s politicization of research and the elimination of billions of dollars’ worth of research funding and thousands of career scientist jobs. So far, there is no indication of any current overt dissent occurring at FDA.

At CDC, the protest came after the last-minute cancelation of what would have been the first agency-wide meeting under this administration. The meeting was highly anticipated by agency employees as a chance to raise urgent concerns, according to NBC News, but it was abruptly called off by acting CDC chief of staff Matthew Buzzelli, who cited ongoing leadership updates. The agency still lacks a permanent director.

Outside CDC’s Atlanta campus, demonstrators chanted, rang cowbells, and held signs reading: “Save CDC,” “RFK’s War on Kids,” and “Who the f--- is in charge?” The rally was organized in response to a wave of high-profile dismissals and program shutdowns that staff say are undermining public health and the agency’s scientific mission, according to the news report.

“I am here today to tell you that the secretary of health and human services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has shown himself to be a domestic health threat,” said Anna Yousaf, an infectious disease researcher at the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, speaking to the crowd. She specifically criticized Kennedy’s Monday decision to fire all 17 members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, an independent panel that plays a central role in recommending U.S. vaccination policy.

In response to Tuesday’s protest, an HHS spokesperson defended the administration’s actions. “The protesters' reactions only prove secretary Kennedy is doing exactly what he was brought in to do: challenge the failed culture that has dominated public health for decades,” said HHS spokesman Andrew Nixon.

At the NIH campus, the strongly worded letter expressed deep concern to director Jay Bhattacharya over what they describe as politically motivated policies imposed by the current administration — particularly by Kennedy — that they say are harming biomedical research, wasting public funds, and endangering public health. The signatories say they are committed to academic freedom and cite Bhattacharya’s own past statements in support of scientific dissent. However, they argue that recent actions by NIH leadership contradict those principles, including:

• Politicization of Research: Termination of 2,100 research grants worth $9.5 billion and $2.6 billion in contracts—many related to health disparities, COVID-19, climate change, gender identity, and diverse research participation — without scientific justification or peer review.
• Undermining Peer Review: Interference with NIH’s independent review process, including removal of high-scoring grant applications and redirection of funds to politically favored projects.
• Mass Layoffs: Termination of essential NIH staff and program areas, which they say is undermining the agency’s capacity to fund and conduct research and putting patient safety at risk.

The letter warns that these actions reflect a failure to carry out the NIH’s legal obligation to spend congressionally allocated research funds. It concludes with a plea for Bhattacharya to reverse course, reinstate staff and funding, and uphold NIH’s legacy as a world leader in biomedical research.

In response to the letter also being sent to Capitol Hill, Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee wrote to Kennedy and Bhattacharya, reminding them that any retaliation against NIH staff is against whistleblower protections and will not be tolerated by Congress.