Susan Monarez, director of the United States' top public health agency, was fired after less than one month in the role. The White House said Monarez was not aligned with President Donald Trump's agenda and refused to resign. The Department of Health and Human Services announced her departure on social media, while her lawyers said she had neither resigned nor been told she was fired. Lawyers asserted Monarez refused to rubber-stamp unscientific directives and was targeted for protecting the public. Her departure coincided with resignations by at least four senior CDC officials, amid concerns over budget cuts and reorganization.
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, lawyers Mark Zaid and Abbe David Lowell wrote in a statement. This is not about one official. It is about the systematic dismantling of public health institutions, the silencing of experts, and the dangerous politicization of science.
Her departure coincided with the resignations this week of at least four top CDC officials. The list includes Dr Debra Houry, the agency's deputy director; Dr Daniel Jernigan, head of the agency's National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases; Dr Demetre Daskalakis, head of its National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases; and Dr Jennifer Layden, director of the Office of Public Health Data, Surveillance, and Technology.
Susan Monarez is not aligned with President Donald Trump's agenda and refused to resign, so the White House terminated her, deputy press secretary Kush Desai said on Wednesday night. The US Department of Health and Human Services had announced her departure in a brief social media post on Wednesday afternoon. Her lawyers responded with a statement, saying Monarez had neither resigned nor been told she was fired.
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