The Trump administration has confirmed the dismissal of Susan Monarez, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), following a tense standoff with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over sweeping vaccine policy changes.
Monarez, a veteran health scientist and civil servant, had led the CDC for less than a month before the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced on X that she “is no longer director.” Her legal team, however, insisted she neither resigned nor received formal notification of removal from the White House.
The White House later issued a statement confirming her termination. “As her attorney’s statement makes abundantly clear, Susan Monarez is not aligned with the President’s agenda of Making America Healthy Again,” spokesman Kush Desai said. “Since Susan Monarez refused to resign despite informing HHS leadership of her intent to do so, the White House has terminated her from her position at the CDC.”
Monarez’s lawyers rejected the move, arguing that only the president himself could legally remove a Senate-confirmed appointee. “She was informed by a staffer in the White House personnel office that she was fired,” they said. “For this reason, we consider the notification legally invalid, and Dr. Monarez remains CDC Director.” They also accused Kennedy of “politicizing public health and endangering millions of Americans.”
According to The Washington Post, Kennedy pressured Monarez to resign after she refused to back his controversial vaccine policy changes. The fallout triggered a wave of resignations, with five senior CDC officials leaving in protest.
“Many felt they had no choice but to walk away from jobs they loved because politics left them no room to uphold science,” the AFGE Local 2883 union, which represents over 2,000 CDC employees, said in a statement. “Vaccines save lives.”
Demetre Daskalakis, head of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, announced his resignation on X, writing: “I cannot serve in an environment that treats CDC as a political tool rather than a guardian of public health.” Chief medical officer Debra Houry and Daniel Jernigan, Director of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, also resigned, according to internal communications cited by U.S. media.
Since taking office, Kennedy has advanced controversial reforms to U.S. vaccine policy, including dismissing immunization experts, limiting access to Covid-19 vaccines, and slashing funding for new vaccine research—moves widely criticized by the scientific community.
Monarez, confirmed by the Senate and sworn in on July 31, departs amid a turbulent period for the CDC. Earlier this month, the agency was targeted in an armed attack by a man who reportedly blamed Covid vaccines for his illness.
In response to the latest resignations, hundreds of current and former CDC employees signed an open letter accusing Kennedy of spreading misinformation and undermining public health. “Public health is under attack,” the letter declared.
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