**Please write now to your Senators and Representative demanding that ALL CDC employees be reinstated as part of any agreement to reopen the government.**

Late on Friday, October 10, the Trump Administration took advantage of the current government shutdown to illegally fire thousands of federal workers reportedly in retaliation for the shutdown and targeting those deemed “aligned with the Democratic party.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was particularly hard hit with 1300 employees initially fired – potentially decimating the agency’s capacity to monitor and respond to a variety of public health threats and leaving all Americans dangerously vulnerable. On Saturday, a new wave of reports indicated about half of the firings had been made in error and were being reversed. Yet critically important staff across the CDC working in surveillance, health statistics, policy and communications remain affected. CDC was already weakened by staff cuts last Spring and can’t afford to lose anyone.

Please take a moment to write to your Senators and Representative demanding that ALL CDC employees be reinstated as part of any agreement to reopen the government. It should be noted that others across HHS operating divisions have also been fired, but our focus here is on CDC while also expressing support for returning all HHS employees to work.