“I was fired for performance—right after a promotion and a bonus”
Maxwell, a former CDC employee and Presidential Management Fellow, was illegally fired twice under the guise of “efficiency”. Despite receiving promotions and performance bonuses, Maxwell and many of his high-performing colleagues were suddenly dismissed en masse—stripping the federal government of vital expertise. His team at the CDC’s Division of Viral Hepatitis was reduced from six people to one, halting lifesaving work and putting critical infrastructure, like the world’s leading hepatitis lab, at risk. The result: millions in wasted taxpayer dollars, irreplaceable scientific damage, and a weakening of the government’s ability to protect Americans from preventable diseases.