Congresswoman Nikema Williams Leads Oversight Letter on  Workers’ Rights Enforcement at the CDC

WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Nikema Williams (GA-05), led a letter, along with 12 other representatives, to the Acting Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Jim O’Neill, expressing deep concern that recent reports indicate that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) may not be complying with the Rehabilitation Act by refusing to provide employees reasonable accommodations. 

Under the Rehabilitation Act, federal agencies are required to provide reasonable accommodations to ensure that an individual with a disability has an equal opportunity to not only get a job, but to successfully perform their duties. As such, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recommends that employers use an “interactive process” to determine accommodation solutions. This includes a back-and-forth sharing of information regarding the demands of a position, the limitations and abilities of the individual employee, and the various accommodation options available. Without this crucial process, accommodations may not meet the employee’s or the employer’s needs and expectations, nor may they work effectively and efficiently.  Given the importance of this interactive process and the legal obligations under the Rehabilitation Act, recent developments at the CDC are particularly troubling.

The status of reasonable accommodations at the CDC has been in flux, leaving employees in an uncertain position. According to recent reports, on September 15, 2025, the CDC decided to target its most vulnerable employees. Per contemporaneous reporting, an email sent to staff by senior leadership indicated that CDC is “awaiting further clarity” on a new policy which prohibits telework, including when it is used as a reasonable accommodation. The next day, HHS’ Chief Operating Officer published a newsletter confirming that telework would no longer be considered a reasonable accommodation. Disturbingly, CDC employees were instructed that not only would any future reasonable accommodation requests for telework be denied, but all current accommodations of telework would be revoked.

Although this guidance was later revoked, confusion remains among CDC workers regarding reasonable accommodation requests and how to move forward with the new CDC Administration. This letter asks for increased clarity and explicit guidance on how employees with disabilities will proceed with existing reasonable accommodations and future requests. 

The members wrote: 

“This sweeping step, justified as implementation of President Trump’s Return to Work Order,  violates workers’ rights to reasonable accommodation, directly overruling federal workers’ civil rights. This guidance is directly inconsistent with the law, and with President Trump’s January memo RE: Guidance on Presidential Memorandum Return to In-Person Work, which guarantees that workers with an “excuse due to a disability, qualifying medical condition, or other compelling reason certified by the agency head and the employee’s supervisor” will not be subject to the Return to Work Order.”

“Given the ongoing government shutdown, the continued termination of federal employees, and the recent shooting at the CDC, many workers are experiencing heightened anxiety, safety concerns, and mental health strain. In this context, access to telework is more important than ever, not just as an accommodation, but as a safeguard for employee well-being and stability.”

Congresswoman Nikema Williams asked for the following questions to be answered by November 15, 2025:

• Will you clarify that telework flexibilities may continue to be used as a reasonable accommodation by those granted them as of September 15, 2025?
• Will you clarify that access to telework flexibilities will be considered a reasonable accommodation moving forward?
• Will you clarify which staff have the authority to approve requests for reasonable accommodations?
• Will you ensure that all requests for reasonable accommodations are processed as quickly as possible and in a reasonable and timely manner as outlined by federal law?

The letter was co-signed by: Rep. Sanford Bishop (GA-02), André Carson (IN-07), Debbie Dingell (MI-06), Sylvia Garcia (TX-29), Jared Huffman (CA-02), Summer Lee (PA-12), Kelly Morrison (MN-03), Eleanor Norton (DC At Large), Deborah Ross (NC-02), Lateefah Simon (CA-12), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), and Paul Tonko (NY-20).

Read the full letter here.