Layoff notices to some 740 workers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been rescinded.
While personnel leading the CDC's response to U.S. measles outbreaks, suicide prevention and an overseas Ebola were spared, The Washington Post reports that fired officials included dozens responsible for safeguarding the nation from chemical, biological and nuclear threats.
In all, about 1,300 layoff notices were sent to CDC staffers late Friday as the Trump administration looked to slash costs during the ongoing federal government shutdown.
A spokesman for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said the administration is closing "wasteful and duplicative entities" and returning the workforce to levels closer to the end of the first Trump administration.
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