Longtime government scientist Susan Monarez is refusing to step down as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) after the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced she had been removed less than a month into the job.
Attorneys Mark Zaid and Abbe Lowell, who represent Monarez, said she “has neither resigned nor yet been fired.”
They accused HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of politicizing public health and targeting Monarez for rejecting directives she considered unscientific.
Dispute Over Vaccines
According to The Washington Post, HHS officials pressured Monarez to rescind approvals for certain COVID-19 vaccines.
When she did not commit, she was reportedly told to resign or face removal. Sources said she then sought help from Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., chairman of the Senate’s top health committee, which further inflamed tensions with Kennedy.
In a statement posted on X, HHS said: “Susan Monarez is no longer director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We thank her for her dedicated service to the American people.
Secretary Kennedy has full confidence in his team at the CDC who will continue to be vigilant in protecting Americans against infectious diseases at home and abroad.”
The White House also confirmed the removal. Spokesman Kush Desai said Monarez was “not aligned with the President’s agenda of Making America Healthy Again” and that she was terminated after refusing to formally resign.
First Senate-Confirmed CDC Director
Monarez was nominated earlier this year after Trump administration nominee Dave Weldon withdrew. She became the first Senate-confirmed CDC director in U.S. history when sworn in at the end of July.
During her confirmation hearing, she voiced strong support for vaccines and told lawmakers she had “not seen a causal link between vaccines and autism.” Unlike her predecessors for more than 70 years, she does not hold a medical degree but has a Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology.
Her government career included roles at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, the National Security Council, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H).
Resignations at CDC
Hours after Monarez’s removal, at four other senior CDC leaders submitted resignations, including:
Demetre Daskalakis, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.
Dr. Daniel Jernigan, director of the National Centers for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Disease.
Debra Houry, the CDC’s chief medical officer.
Jennifer Layden, the Director for the Office of Public Health Data, Surveillance, and Technology.
