Nearly 1,300 probationary employees at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — roughly one-tenth of the agency's workforce — are being forced out under the Trump administration's move to get rid of all probationary employees.
The affected employees are supposed to receive four weeks paid administrative leave, the official said, adding that it wasn't clear when individual workers would receive notice.
The verbal notice came from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in a meeting with CDC leaders, according to a federal official who was at the meeting.
Historically CDC has been seen as a global leader on disease control and a reliable source of health information, boasting some of the top experts in the world.
Probationary periods also are applied to veteran agency staffers who, for example, were recently promoted to a new job in management.
