FIRED
BUT FIGHTING

A coalition of fired HHS employees and allies.

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In 2025, thousands of HHS employees were abruptly terminated and RIF’d under the guise of performance management and workforce reduction. Fired But Fighting is a network of former CDC and NIH professionals, including scientists, communicators, policy analysts, and public health experts, who are standing together to demand transparency, accountability, and justice. We are speaking out not just for ourselves, but for the future of public service and the protection of public health.

Breaking News and Announcements

  • The National Public Health Coalition is born! The Fired But Fighting team has incorporated under the name National Public Health Coalition. We are currently in the process of filing for nonprofit status. Keep an eye out for emails from @nationalphc.org and news about this exciting new chapter. 

  • Trump extends hiring freeze for three more months - President Trump on Monday extended his administration’s hiring freeze of all federal civilian positions for another three months, leaving in place the moratorium into the start of fiscal 2026 (October 15, 2025).

  • Budgetary win for feds - Thanks to the Byrd Rule, the Senate parliamentarian ruled that most of the proposals aimed at cutting federal employees’ retirement benefits and civil service protections were against Senate policy and have been stripped from the reconciliation package. Read more>>

  • Support the CDC Mutual Aid fund by making a tax-deductible donation on the group’s new Zeffy fundraising page.

  • Fired But Fighting has released a comprehensive dashboard detailing programs and grants that will be disrupted by the proposed budget cuts in FY26. View the dashboard.

  • Read Fired But Fighting’s statement on Kennedy’s ACIP firings.

Ways to Get Involved

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Sign up for the Fired But Fighting newsletter and download past issues.

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Join us in person at upcoming rallies and (un) happy hours.

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Support the cause! Help us pay for posters, markers, web hosting fees, etc.

Fired But Fighting in the Media