Washington: The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was thrust into turmoil after the Trump administration abruptly moved to oust its director, Dr. Susan Monarez, less than a month after she was sworn in.
The decision, announced in a brief statement by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), did not explain but immediately sparked a wave of resignations and warnings about political interference in public health.
“Dr. 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,” HHS said in an unsigned social media post.
Monarez, 50, who became the CDC’s 21st director and the first to require Senate confirmation under a 2023 law, has publicly rejected the suggestion that she had stepped down. Her attorneys, Mark Zaid and Abbe David Lowell, said Wednesday evening that she had neither resigned nor received formal notice of termination from the White House.
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. @SecKennedy has full confidence in his team at @CDCgov who will continue to be vigilant in protecting Americans against infectious…
— HHS.gov (@HHSGov) August 27, 2025
“As a person of integrity and devoted to science, she will not resign,” her lawyers said in a statement, accusing Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of targeting Monarez because she refused to endorse politically driven changes to vaccine policy.
“When CDC Director Susan Monarez refused to rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives and fire dedicated health experts, she chose protecting the public over serving a political agenda. For that, she has been targeted,” the statement read.
The leadership shake-up has triggered further instability inside the CDC. At least three senior officials resigned within hours of the HHS announcement. Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, who led the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said in his resignation letter that he could no longer serve under what he called the ongoing weaponizing of public health.
Dr. Deb Houry, the CDC’s chief medical officer, also resigned, warning in her letter that “science at CDC should never be censored or subject to political pauses or interpretations.” Dr. Daniel Jernigan, head of the Center for Emerging Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, confirmed his departure as well.
The clash over Monarez’s leadership came the same day the Food and Drug Administration, with Kennedy’s backing, revoked the emergency use authorization for Covid-19 vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna, and Novavax.
While the shots are now limited to adults over 65 and people with serious underlying conditions, even those eligible will need approval from a reconstituted advisory panel that includes vaccine skeptics.
CDC scientists have estimated that COVID-19 vaccines prevented 3.2 million deaths in the United States. Monarez reportedly resisted efforts to weaken vaccine recommendations, placing her on a collision course with Kennedy.
Monarez’s removal marks the shortest tenure for a CDC director in the agency’s 79-year history. She was sworn in on July 31 after being nominated in March when Trump abruptly dropped his first choice, former congressman David Weldon.
The turmoil leaves the CDC without stable leadership at a time when the agency faces critical challenges, including rising concerns over infectious disease threats and rebuilding public trust after years of political battles over pandemic policy.
