The Trump administration dismisses dozens of officials

As part of its latest cost-cutting measures, the Trump administration has laid off dozens of employees at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), including “disease detectives,” senior scientists, and the entire Washington office, The New York Times reported on Saturday.

Neither the White House nor the CDC immediately responded to requests for comment from Reuters.

The affected employees were sent email notices of their dismissal on Friday, informing them that their duties were now considered redundant or “virtually identical” to those of another department within the agency, the newspaper reported.

The exact number of employees affected at the center has not yet been confirmed.

The ongoing U.S. government shutdown has sent hundreds of thousands of federal employees home, including employees of the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the center.

(reuters, pmi)