CDC director ousted from agency

In March, President Donald Trump nominated Susan Monarez, the then acting director of CDC, to serve as the agency's permanent director after the nomination of his first choice, Dave Weldon, was withdrawn. Before taking the role of acting director, Monarez served as the deputy director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health.

On July 29, the Senate confirmed Monarez as CDC director in a 51-47 vote along party lines, making her the first nonphysician to hold the position in over 50 years. During her confirmation hearing, Monarez said she values vaccines and rigorous scientific evidence but avoided directly answering any questions regarding whether those views would put her at odds with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

On Wednesday, just weeks after being confirmed as CDC director, Monarez was ousted from her position, with sources familiar with the matter citing disagreements with Kennedy, particularly over recent vaccine policy changes.

According to the Washington Post, Kennedy, Trump administration lawyers, and other officials pressed Monarez for days about whether she would support revoking certain approvals for COVID-19 or if she was aligned with the administration's efforts to change vaccine policy.

Two people with knowledge of the conversations said Monarez declined to commit to changing current COVID-19 vaccine policy without first consulting her advisors — a decision that led Kennedy to push her to resign for "not supporting President Trump's agenda."

Administration officials told Monarez to either resign or be fired, the people said. On Wednesday evening, HHS confirmed that Monarez was no longer CDC director in a post on X.

"We thank her for her dedicated service to the American people. @SecKennedy has full confidence in his team at @CDCgov who will continue to be vigilant in protecting Americans against infectious diseases at home and abroad," HHS posted.

"It is about the systematic dismantling of public health institutions, the silencing of experts, and the dangerous politicization of science," the attorneys wrote. "The attack on Dr. Monarez is a warning to every American: Our evidence-based systems are being undermined from within."

The White House later announced that it had fired Monarez as CDC director after she refused to resign. "Since Susan Monarez refused to resign despite informing HHS leadership of her intent to do so, the White House has terminated Monarez from her position with the CDC," said Kush Desai, a White House spokesperson.

"I am committed to protecting the public's health, but the ongoing changes prevent me from continuing in my job as a leader of the agency," Houry wrote in an email to CDC staff. "This is a heartbreaking decision that I make with a heavy heart."

According to former CDC leaders, the departures would harm both the agency and the country.

Mandy Cohen, who was CDC director during the second half of the Biden administration, said the officials were "exceptional leaders who have served over many decades and many administrations" and that "the weakening of the CDC leaves us less safe and more vulnerable as a country."

"I think we should all be scared about the nation's health security," said Anne Schuchat, CDC's principal deputy director until her retirement in May 2021.

Other public health experts also spoke out against the departures.

"The loss of experienced, world-class infectious disease experts at CDC is directly related to the failed leadership of extremists currently in charge of [HHS]," said Michael Osterholm, an infectious disease researcher from the University of Minnesota. "They make our country less safe and less prepared for public health emergencies."

"When a career civil servant that leads an agency and this number of senior career officials resign in the same day, it raises serious questions about how the CDC can and will continue to do its work to protect and promote the public's health," said Chrissie Juliano, executive director of the Big Cities Health Coalition. "It's a real loss for the nation's health."

(Sun, et al., Washington Post, 8/27; Stolberg, et al., New York Times, 8/28; Fortinsky, The Hill, 8/28; Choi, The Hill, 8/27; Choi/Weixel, The Hill, 8/27; Fiore, MedPage Today, 8/27 [1]; Fiore, MedPage Today, 8/27 [2]; Associated Press/NPR, 8/27)