The White House announced late Wednesday that Susan Monarez, the newly appointed director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has been dismissed following a bitter clash with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over vaccine policy.
Dr. Monarez, an infectious disease researcher confirmed by the Senate just a month ago, had resisted pressure to resign. Her attorneys said she refused to step aside, insisting the fight symbolized “the dangerous politicization of science.” Hours later, however, a White House spokesman confirmed her termination.
According to the New York Times, the fallout was immediate: four senior CDC leaders: Dr. Debra Houry, Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, Dr. Daniel Jernigan, and Dr. Jennifer Layden, resigned in protest. Collectively, they oversaw vaccine safety, immunization policy, public health data, and opioid response. Former agency chiefs warned that the departures strip the CDC of some of its most experienced scientists and leave the nation more vulnerable to health threats.
The confrontation escalated after Kennedy, who has long questioned vaccine safety, demanded Monarez dismiss senior staff and align the CDC with his views, the NYT writes. When she refused, tensions spilled into public view. By Wednesday evening, the administration declared she was no longer director.
The crisis comes during a turbulent stretch for the CDC: budget cuts, mass layoffs, and a gun attack at the agency’s Atlanta headquarters earlier this month that left one police officer dead. Current and former officials say morale has plummeted under Kennedy’s leadership, with some accusing him of weaponizing public health for political gain.
The ouster of Monarez, the first non-physician to lead the agency in more than 50 years, marks another shock to U.S. public health leadership. Her departure, combined with the resignations of top staff, leaves the CDC fractured at a moment when trust in vaccines and science is already under siege, according to the NYT.