CDC employees on chaos of being fired, rehired and fired again: ‘stuck in limbo’

Americans' health in jeopardy as agency plunged into tumult and inefficiency even after court ruled firings illegal

As layoff notices swept through the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on 10 October, Aryn Melton Backus thought she would be safe this time.

Then she received the email: she was part of a major reduction in force (RIF) during the US government shutdown. It wasn't the first time she'd been fired from the CDC by email, nor the second.