The Trump administration reversed layoffs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention after hundreds of scientists received “incorrect notices” that they were fired during the government shutdown, according to an official familiar with the matter.

This follows that more than 1,000 CDC workers received layoff notices on Friday night, October 10, 2025, in what appeared to echo remarks by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who weeks ago said the agency needed “new blood.”

Despite the purported announcement, the employees who received incorrect notices were never separated from the agency and have been notified that they are not subject to reductions in force, the official told NBC News.

The reversed layoffs, first reported by The New York Times, come on the heels of the administration’s decision to lay off thousands of federal workers during the government shutdown, prompting a backlash from critics who argue the firings are unlawful.

The reductions in force measures are being challenged in court and mark the latest fallout in the fight over the government shutdown, which has stretched into its second week as lawmakers show no signs of moving closer to a deal.

Vice President J.D. Vance addressed the reversed layoffs in an interview on CBS News' “Face the Nation,” saying that “a government shutdown inevitably leads to some chaos.”

“We’re figuring out how to take money from some areas and give it to other areas,” he said, then blamed Democrats.

Vance argued that the layoffs were necessary to preserve critical government functions, adding that if that happens, “some chaos will ensue.”

The CDC, which is responsible for coordinating disease prevention and control efforts domestically and internationally,It now faces the challenge of maintaining its functions with reduced human resources amid a delicate public health situation.