BREAKING NEWS

» In another leadership shakeup, Ralph Abraham, the No. 2 official at CDC, has abruptly stepped down.

» Remember the unethical hepatitis B ‘study’ we mentioned in issue 40 of the newsletter? A recent investigation uncovered new documents that reveal the vaccine study's unusual path to CDC approval. Spoiler alert: The proposal was not vetted by any CDC center and was instead routed directly from the director’s office to grant management personnel, where it was approved in less than 2 weeks.

» Straight from a comic book villain’s playbook, OPM continues its attack on the federal workforce by formally proposing limits on top performance ratings for federal workers.

» In further attacks on science, RFK Jr.’s FDA no longer warns against chlorine dioxide, raw camel milk, and other ineffective autism treatments, while Trump’s surgeon general pick won’t urge vaccines for measles, flu, or whooping cough.

» NPHC was featured in the Guardian this week 👀 ‘We want to rebuild trust’: fired CDC workers form group to combat Trump’s war on science | Trump administration

Welcome to the 50th issue of Fired But Fighting, a newsletter for illegally terminated, improperly RIF’d, chaotically reinstated, and current HHS staff. Read on for judicial and advocacy updates, links to media coverage, calls to action, tips, and resources.

Please consider supporting us by making a donation, grabbing some FBF merch (www.firedbutfighting.org/shop), or signing up to volunteer. You can also check out the FBF Talent Marketplace to support a fired fed.

various Fired But Fighting merchandise, including new products like an oath magnet and “sweet and spicy” stuffed animals — *Fresh new Fired But Fighting merch*

Visit www.firedbutfighting.org/newsletter-library to read this and previous issues of the newsletter on the web.

LEGAL UPDATES

» OPM's new rule on Schedule Policy/Career (a.k.a. Schedule F), which will allow the administration to reclassify certain positions to at-will positions, will go into effect on March 8. The FBF is working closely with L2883 to help those whose positions may be reclassified understand what this means for them and how they can prepare. This week's legal update includes an analysis of the new rule and the process that may follow, as well as information on HHS RIFs and probationary employee appeals in the MSPB, the recently filed class complaint on telework as RA, and status updates on lawsuits against RIFs across government. NOTE: If you have filed an MSPB appeal and are willing to help our team stay updated on the status of this process, please reach out to us at legal@firedbutfighting.org. We are primarily looking for information on the ACF, CMS, FDA, IHS, and SAMHSA consolidations.

Read the full legal updatehere.

CALLS TO ACTION

» Join fellow civil servants to demand Congress impeach Russell Vought. Sign the petition here.

» Have you ever considered serving as a poll worker? Did you know that this is one “side hustle” that doesn’t require EPATS approval for feds? Work Elections Project: Learn How to Become a Poll Worker. Related: make sure you never miss another election or polling place change by registering at the nonpartisan TurboVote.

» Comment needed on these proposed rules that affect HHS employees and the public health workforce. You can raise substantive issues, ask questions for consideration, or even request an extension of the comment period. They will have to respond, and that will slow the process down. You can find guidance on submitting comments on proposed regs here.

The Department of Education has recategorized Public Health, Nursing, and other professional degrees as no longer being “Professional Degrees.” PLEASE COMMENT ABOUT HOW BAD OF AN IDEA THIS IS BY MARCH 7.
OPM proposes to transfer appeal rights for employees affected by a RIF action from the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) to OPM, removing independent review and overriding union grievance routes. Read more and comment before March 12.

» Attend a celebration of life for Dr. William Foege. The event will take place at Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church at 1:30 p.m. on March 14 and is open to the public. RSVP.

» Volunteer with Fired But Fighting: Looking for ways to channel your rage? Sign up to volunteer.

EVENTS

Yoga for Mutual Aid. 75 min. Hatha and Yin. — **CDC Mutual Aid Yoga**

» ❤️Donation-Based Community Yoga for CDC Mutual Aid on Saturday, March 7th at 11:30 am at M3 Yoga & Hot Pilates in Atlanta. 🧘🏽‍♀️Register for class here and donate to the CDC Mutual Aid Fund here.

Atlanta Community Food Bank Day of Service — **NPHC/FBF Day of Service**

» March 7: Join NPHC/FBF for our first Day of Service with the Atlanta Community Food Bank. Register here.

WEEKLY 27 UNIHTED

**Back by Popular Demand**

Federal Workers Coffee Hour. 4th Thursday of each month through October 2026. Download the flyer.

» Every Saturday: Vigil commemorating the lives and knowledge lost through NIH cuts. Black attire encouraged. 10 am at the Medical Center Metro.

» Please follow and share 27 uNIHted’s new Instagram account.

UNION CORNER

» Snider & Associates, LLC, out of Baltimore, MD, has filed an EEO class complaint about CDC’s handling of disability-related telework reasonable accommodations.

The proposed class is defined as: All current and former Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) employees who, since January 2025 and continuing to the present and beyond, requested telework as part or all of a reasonable accommodation based on disability and did not receive the requested accommodation.
This class definition still needs to be certified by a judge and could change. If you think you meet the class definition, fill out the data collection form from Snider & Associates here.
DO NOT STOP YOUR INDIVIDUAL EEO COMPLAINTS. We do not know the outcome of the class complaint, and it is important not to miss EEO complaint deadlines in the meantime in order to protect your own rights.

» If you have RA-specific questions or would like to help us support your colleagues in the disabilities community, please email us at ra@afge2883ga.org.

» L2883 will be holding officer elections soon. Please be on the lookout for a call for nominations. Due to National Labor Relations Board regulations, this will be sent by snail mail. Please ensure your address on file with AFGE is correct!

» If you’re not already a member, sign up here to join the fight now! As a reminder, all job series (including supervisors) are eligible to join! The only exception is commissioned corps officers. https://join.afge.org/L2883

CAREER CORNER

» Check out this week’s Career Corner for upcoming events and resources. There are a number of events in the next week, including several in-person job fairs.

» Join the Opportunities for Former HHS Staff Group and follow Fired But Fighting on LinkedIn to stay current on career-related events.

CDC MUTUAL AID

💚 💚 Update from the CDC Mutual Aid Network 💚 💚

» Thanks to your support, we were able to distribute nearly $7,000 last week to fired CDC workers who are struggling financially. We are now 28% of the way to our current 2026 fundraising goal of $75,000, which would allow us to fund the 38 CDCers still on our waiting list.

» To help us reach our goal, you can visit https://www.cdcresourceportal.org to learn more about the CDC Mutual Aid Network and to donate. Donations are tax-deductible, and more than 99.9% go directly to fired CDCers. You can also visit our CDC Mutual Aid store at https://cdc-mutual-aid-network.printful.me. Every purchase directly supports our mission and helps us continue making a difference.

» Take care of yourselves this week, and keep looking out for each other.

THE WEEKLY NEEDLE

» The Weekly Needle is America’s most trusted news source for satirical medical news. Enjoy our most recent story from this week:

» Surgeon General Nominee Casey Means to Use Confirmation Hearing to Promote New Colloidal Silver Supplement- RFK Jr’s nominee for Surgeon General, Dr. Casey Means, planned to use her nomination hearing in Congress last week to advertise her new colloidal silver supplement that aims to cure people of a wide variety of ailments, according to leaked documents from her team.

SPOON OF THE WEEK

FIRED AND THRIVING

**Sparc Lab Consulting**

» SPARC Lab Consulting is a public health and social impact communications consulting firm established by five CDC scientists who were RIFd from the Division of HIV Prevention as part of the April Fool’s massacre. With decades of experience in public health communication, behavioral science, and applied research, the SPARC team supports organizations working on public health and social challenges. The group’s expertise spans health literacy, health equity, risk communication, and outbreak response, with a focus on aligning strategy, content, and implementation. Keeping in mind their core values of equity, partnership, and integrity, the team also offers limited reduced-rate opportunities for organizations that do not have the financial resources to engage consulting services. Learn more about SPARC and meet the team by visiting their website.

SELF CARE

» The Atlanta Preservation Center’s Phoenix Flies Program offers free tours and lectures celebrating Atlanta’s Historic Sites. Click here to sign up for the free events taking place between March 2 and 29.

» Enjoy reading about RFK Jr and MAHA’s horrible, terrible, no good, very bad week 😈

» Bored with your Signal avatar? We have a whole library of free avatars to choose from. Check it out>

» Browse this guide of Black History Month events, activities, and places to explore in the Atlanta area.

» Yoga with Amanda offers a free class at the Decatur Library each month. Sign up for the February or March class on the library’s website.