Attorneys representing Monarez argue that she was deliberately targeted for standing firm in defense of public health, refusing to endorse what they described as ‘unscientific’ directives.
The nation’s top public health agency was thrown into turmoil on Wednesday after the Trump administration moved to remove its newly sworn-in leader, Susan Monarez. Less than a month into her tenure, Monarez’s attorneys declared she would not step down, insisting she was being "targeted" for her pro-science stance.
Susan Monarez, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), was removed from her post on Wednesday evening, according to a statement from the Department of Health and Human Services, which offered no explanation for the decision.
"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," the Department of Health and Human Services announced in an unsigned statement posted on social media. Monarez’s attorneys swiftly challenged the claim, insisting she had "neither resigned nor received any notification" from the White House of her dismissal.
Monarez, confirmed by the Senate only last month, appeared to have clashed with US health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. after refusing to back sweeping changes to the nation’s vaccine policies, according to reports from the Washington Post and the New York Times.
“First it was independent advisory committees and career experts. Then it was the dismissal of seasoned scientists. Now, Secretary Kennedy and HHS have set their sights on weaponizing public health for political gain and putting millions of American lives at risk,” her lawyers, Mark Zaid and Abbe David Lowell, said in a statement. “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 ouster has triggered a wave of resignations inside the agency, with at least three other CDC leaders stepping down publicly following the HHS announcement.
The most dramatic resignation came from Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, who stepped down as director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, according to Inside Medicine, an industry newsletter that obtained his full statements.
“I am not able to serve in this role any longer because of the ongoing weaponizing of public health. You are the best team I have ever worked with, and you continue to shine despite this dark cloud over the agency and our profession,” Daskalakis wrote. “Please take care of yourself and your teams and make the right decisions for yourselves.”
Echoing similar concerns, Dr. Deb Houry, the CDC’s chief medical officer, who also stepped down, stated that "For the good of the nation and the world, the science at CDC should never be censored or subjected to political pauses or interpretations."
Daniel Jernigan, director of the CDC’s Center for Emerging Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, has also resigned from the agency.
Hours before Monarez’s removal, Kennedy praised the Food and Drug Administration’s Wednesday decision to revoke the emergency use authorizations for Covid-19 vaccines produced by Pfizer, Moderna, and Novavax—vaccines that CDC experts estimate have saved 3.2 million lives in the United States.
The FDA now authorizes vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna, and Novavax only for individuals aged 65 and older, or younger people with underlying medical conditions that increase their risk of severe illness. Even those who meet the criteria will only be able to access the vaccines in the U.S. if the advisory panel—recently reshaped by Kennedy to include Covid vaccine skeptics—votes to approve them.
At 50, Monarez became the CDC’s 21st director and the first to undergo Senate confirmation under a 2023 law. She was appointed acting director in January and formally nominated in March after Trump abruptly withdrew his initial choice, David Weldon. Sworn in on July 31—less than a month ago—Monarez now holds the record as the shortest-serving director in the 79-year history of the agency.
Meanwhile, public health experts are raising alarms over the unfolding chaos.
“What’s happening at the CDC should frighten every American Regardless of whether you are MAGA, MAHA, neither, or don’t give a damn about labels or politics. It’s unclear whether the CDC director—confirmed just weeks ago—has been fired or not. Absolute shitshow,” Dr Craig Spencer, an emergency medicine doctor and professor at Brown University School of Public Health, posted. “And incredible career professionals resigned tonight, sounding a massive alarm,” he added. “This is pure chaos that leaves the country unprepared.”
"RFK Jr. is increasingly becoming a liability for the White House," observed Dr. Jonathan Reiner, a cardiologist and professor of medicine at George Washington University.
“There is a wholesale destruction of leadership at the CDC. The newly confirmed Director is out,” Dr Ashish Jha, the Biden administration’s coronavirus response coordinator, wrote. “Most of the top leaders who run key centers have resigned en masse. Total implosion. All because of [Secretary Kennedy’s] leadership. What a complete disaster.”
Photo: Susan Monarez on Capitol Hill, in Washington DC on 25 June. Photograph: Kevin Mohatt/Reuters
