CDC Director Dr. Susan Monarez Removed Amidst White House Shakeup and Allegations of Political Interference with Public Health Policies
The director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Dr. Susan Monarez, has been removed from her position, according to a White House statement released on Wednesday.
Monarez’s departure was swiftly followed by the resignation of several high-level agency officials, leaving the CDC without a leader during a critical time. The morale within the agency had already been low due to significant staff cuts in the spring, but plummeted further after a shooting incident at the CDC’s main campus in Atlanta on August 8. The attack left buildings riddled with hundreds of bullet holes and resulted in the death of DeKalb County Police Officer David Rose. Shortly afterwards, another 600 employees received official termination notices.
White House spokesperson Kush Desai explained in a statement that Monarez was not aligned with the President’s agenda for “Making America Healthy Again.” According to Desai, Monarez refused to resign despite being informed of the administration’s intention to remove her from her position at the CDC.
In a post on Wednesday, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) confirmed that Monarez was no longer director of the CDC. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. expressed full confidence in his team at @CDCgov, who would continue to protect Americans against infectious diseases domestically and abroad.
At present, there is no acting director appointed to lead the CDC.
The ousting of Monarez was first reported by The Washington Post.
Following Monarez’s departure, three other high-ranking CDC officials also announced their resignations. These included Dr. Debra Houry, the agency’s chief medical officer and deputy director of programs and science; Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases; and Dr. Dan Jernigan, director of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases. These officials were well-liked and trusted by staff members.
In her resignation email to staff, which was shared with CNN, Houry wrote, “For the good of the nation and the world, the science at CDC should never be censored or subject to political pauses and interpretations.” She emphasized the importance of vaccines in saving lives and called for informed consent and shared decision-making that focuses not only on the risks but also on the benefits of vaccinations.
Daskalakis, in his resignation email to Houry, expressed concerns over decisions regarding scientific and public health matters being announced without prior notice or through poorly scripted videos or lengthy posts on social media. He stated that such actions demonstrate a disregard for normal communication channels and common sense.
Dr. Jennifer Layden, director of the Office of Public Health Data, Surveillance, and Technology, also left the CDC on Wednesday.
A source within the CDC described the current state of the agency as “crumbling.” The individual, who requested anonymity for fear of retribution, stated that the top people who had protected the agency from political interference by the new administration have all resigned or been removed. They noted that the bullet holes from the shooting incident on the Atlanta campus still haven’t been repaired.
Monarez’s removal followed internal pressure led by Stefanie Spear, Kennedy’s deputy chief of staff and close confidante, according to two sources familiar with the situation. The decision came shortly after Kennedy summoned Monarez to Washington and demanded that she fire Houry, Jernigan, and Daskalakis. Monarez refused, resulting in Kennedy’s move to remove her.
Tensions between Monarez and Kennedy also centered around vaccine policies, including an impending announcement that could potentially link immunizations with autism.
Kennedy suggested during a meeting of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet on Tuesday that HHS would reveal research in September showing that “certain interventions now are clearly, almost certainly, causing autism.” Trump responded by stating that “there has to be something artificially causing this, meaning, a drug or something.”
The CDC is set to announce a new slate of appointees to its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices in the coming weeks. Kennedy dissolved the panel of independent vaccine advisers in June and soon after named eight new members, many of whom have questioned the safety of vaccines and public policy surrounding vaccination. One member dropped out during the required financial review process.
Monarez’s attorneys, Mark Zaid and Abbe Lowell, released a statement on Wednesday stating that Kennedy and HHS “have set their sights on weaponizing public health for political gain and putting millions of American lives at risk.” They accused Kennedy of targeting Monarez for refusing to endorse unscientific, reckless directives and for standing up for dedicated health experts.
US Sen. Patty Murray, a Washington Democrat and a senior member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, called for Kennedy’s own ouster on Wednesday. Murray described Monarez as a commendable figure who stood up for science and protected the integrity of the CDC, while also emphasizing that Kennedy is the problem. She warned that Kennedy’s politicization of science poses a serious threat to public health, particularly in light of potential future pandemics.
Monarez was Trump’s second choice to lead the CDC; the nomination of Dr. Dave Weldon was withdrawn in March due to concerns over Weldon’s comments expressing skepticism about vaccines. She is the first CDC director to be confirmed by the Senate and served the shortest tenure of any director in the agency’s history.
Monarez held various leadership roles in Republican and Democratic administrations prior to joining the CDC. Before her appointment, she was deputy director for the Advance Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) and founding director of the Center for Innovation at the Health Resources and Services Administration. She also held positions at the Department of Homeland Security and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority.
In a news release on the day of her swearing-in, Kennedy praised Monarez’s scientific credentials and expressed confidence in her ability to restore Americans’ trust in the agency. Monarez, in turn, expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to work alongside public servants at CDC and pledged to strengthen and modernize the nation’s public health preparedness and response through science and innovation.
The public health community was shocked by Wednesday’s shakeup at the CDC. Former agency director Dr. Tom Frieden described the situation as a grave danger to the beacon of health protection for the United States and the world. Jennifer Nuzzo, director of the Pandemic Center at Brown University’s School of Public Health, expressed concern over the potential firing of Monarez if reports are true, stating that it represents a dangerous turn for American health and security.
Former CDC Principal Deputy Director Dr. Nirav Shah told CNN that Monarez’s ousting is another example of chaotic leadership under Kennedy, stressing that stable leadership matters during times of increasing public health threats. He added that the instability at the CDC will not contribute to making Americans healthy again.