The US Department of Health and Human Services has permanently dismissed about 600 employees at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, finalising a round of layoffs first announced in March as part of Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s plan to shrink what he calls “bureaucratic sprawl.” The terminations, confirmed by the American Federation of Government Employees on 21 August, target staff in offices ranging from violence prevention to equal-employment oversight and are expected to save roughly $1.8 billion a year, according to HHS. A federal judge last week narrowed an earlier injunction that had temporarily halted the downsizing, allowing most of the CDC reductions to proceed while shielding six specialised divisions. Kennedy’s broader restructuring blueprint envisions cutting 2,400 CDC positions and about 10,000 jobs across federal health agencies, despite his pledge to increase the number of frontline scientists. The layoffs land less than two weeks after a gunman fired hundreds of rounds at the CDC’s Atlanta campus on 8 August, killing police officer David Rose. Internal security emails reviewed by agency staff indicate the attacker attempted to enter the grounds two days earlier, suggesting reconnaissance. Employees had only just returned to the headquarters when the dismissal notices arrived, further denting morale. Nearly 1,000 current and former HHS workers and several public-health leaders have criticised Kennedy’s handling of both the shooting and the workforce cuts, warning the agency’s capacity to monitor disease and respond to outbreaks will be hobbled. While the White House this week released tens of millions of dollars in previously stalled CDC research grants, union officials say the funding boost will not offset the loss of experienced personnel.