White House Fires CDC Director Susan Monarez Over Vaccine Clash/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ CDC Director Susan Monarez was fired after refusing to resign, according to the White House. Her removal comes amid deep internal conflicts over vaccine policy and a wave of resignations. The CDC faces leadership instability at a critical time for public health.
White House Fires Monarez Quick Looks
- Susan Monarez fired by White House after refusal to resign
- Her attorneys dispute dismissal, claim she was never formally terminated
- White House cites misalignment with President’s health agenda
- Multiple high-level CDC officials resigned the same day
- Vaccine policy under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. a key friction point
- Resignation letters from CDC leaders cite science suppression concerns
- Monarez was confirmed July 29 after a contentious nomination
- CDC now faces a leadership vacuum amid ongoing job cuts
- Her departure followed an anti-vaccine motivated attack on CDC HQ
- Internal tensions grow as federal health agencies see rapid personnel changes
Deep Look: White House Fires CDC Director Susan Monarez Amid Internal Vaccine Policy Disputes
WASHINGTON — Just weeks after being sworn in, Susan Monarez, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has been terminated by the White House, according to officials. The sudden move has set off a public dispute between the Biden administration and Monarez’s legal team, who claim she neither resigned nor received official notice of her dismissal.
In a statement released Wednesday evening, White House spokesperson Kush Desai said Monarez “refused to resign despite informing HHS leadership of her intent to do so,” and was therefore fired. He added that Monarez “is not aligned with the President’s agenda of Making America Healthy Again.”
Monarez’s attorneys, Mark Zaid and Abbe Lowell, immediately pushed back, stating that their client had not resigned and had not been formally dismissed.
“As a person of integrity and devoted to science, she will not resign,” they said in a statement on X (formerly Twitter).
CDC in Turmoil as Senior Leaders Resign
The controversy comes amid a leadership crisis at the CDC. Internal emails confirm that Chief Medical Officer Debra Houry and two other senior CDC officials — Daniel Jernigan, director of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, and Demetre Daskalakis, head of Immunization and Respiratory Diseases — resigned on the same day Monarez was removed.
In a fiery public resignation letter, Daskalakis criticized the agency’s new direction:
“The intentional eroding of trust in low-risk vaccines favoring natural infection and unproven remedies will bring us to a pre-vaccine era where only the strong will survive.”
Dr. Houry echoed similar concerns:
“Vaccines save lives — this is an indisputable, well-established, scientific fact. I am committed to protecting public health, but the ongoing changes prevent me from continuing in my job.”
Policy Clash With HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Monarez’s brief tenure at the CDC was marked by a tense relationship with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., particularly over COVID-19 vaccine policies. According to The Washington Post, Kennedy had urged Monarez to resign, prompting her to seek help from Senator Bill Cassidy (R-La.), a rare move that underscored the depth of their conflict.
The same day Monarez was ousted, HHS announced new restrictions on COVID-19 vaccine eligibility, signaling a shift in federal vaccination strategy that many see as politically motivated.
Background: Monarez Confirmed After Withdrawal of Previous Nominee
Monarez was nominated in May 2025 by President Trump following the withdrawal of his first pick, Dave Weldon. She was confirmed on July 29 after navigating a difficult Senate hearing where she carefully balanced support for vaccines without directly contradicting Kennedy.
During her brief time in office, Monarez oversaw a CDC that faced major challenges — including an anti-vaccine-inspired attack on its Atlanta headquarters and hundreds of job cuts.
Broader Implications for Federal Health Leadership
Monarez’s ouster is just the latest in a series of rapid leadership changes across federal health agencies. Earlier in August, FDA vaccine regulator Vinay Prasad returned to his post after a brief and unexplained departure. These abrupt shifts are raising concerns among public health experts and lawmakers about the stability of agencies responsible for critical health decisions.
The situation at the CDC now reflects deep divisions over vaccine science, public health policy, and the politicization of health agencies. With multiple top leaders gone and conflicting messages from the administration, the agency’s future direction remains uncertain.
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