The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Susan Monarez, was fired on Wednesday after less than a month in the permanent role, marking a dramatic shake-up at the nation’s top public health agency. Her departure coincided with the resignations of several other senior CDC officials, highlighting internal turmoil and raising concerns about the future of evidence-based public health leadership in the United States.
According to a White House spokesperson, Monarez was terminated because she was not “aligned with” President Donald Trump’s agenda and refused to resign voluntarily. Her lawyers countered that she was targeted for standing up for science, arguing that the action reflected the broader politicization of public health. Attorneys 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.” They added that her firing serves as a warning about systematic efforts to undermine scientific institutions.
In addition to Monarez, at least four top CDC officials resigned this week, including Dr. Debra Houry, deputy director; Dr. Daniel Jernigan, head of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases; Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases; and Dr. Jennifer Layden, director of the Office of Public Health Data, Surveillance, and Technology. Houry, in an email obtained by The Associated Press, cited planned budget cuts, reorganization, and firings as reasons for leaving. She also expressed concern over rising vaccine misinformation and limits on CDC communications, emphasizing that science should never be censored or manipulated for political purposes.
Daskalakis, who worked closely with the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, highlighted the dangers of the recent leadership changes, noting that committee positions were filled with vaccine skeptics, including one assigned to a COVID-19 vaccines workgroup. In his resignation letter, he wrote that the CDC had become a tool for political purposes and that the leadership’s desire to “please a political base” could result in death and disability of vulnerable children and adults. He described Monarez as “hamstrung and sidelined by an authoritarian leader.”
The departures drew sharp criticism from public health experts. Dr. Robert Steinbrook of Public Citizen called it “an absolute disaster for public health,” while infectious disease researcher Michael Osterholm described it as “a serious loss for America,” warning that the loss of experienced CDC leaders makes the country less safe and less prepared for public health emergencies.
Susan Monarez, 50, was the CDC’s 21st director and the first to undergo Senate confirmation under a 2023 law. She initially became acting director in January and was formally nominated in March after President Trump withdrew his first choice, David Weldon. Her abrupt firing and the mass resignations of senior staff underscore rising concerns about the politicization of scientific agencies under the current administration and the potential long-term impact on public health in the United States.
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