CDC leadership experienced major turmoil after Director Susan Monarez refused to resign under pressure and was fired hours later. Monarez resisted political directives from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and would not rubber-stamp unscientific orders or dismiss career public-health experts. Her lawyers said she chose protecting the public and would not resign. At least four senior CDC officials resigned, including Drs. Debra Houry, Daniel Jernigan, Demetre Daskalakis, and Jennifer Layden. Kennedy replaced the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, firing members and appointing vaccine skeptics, including one leading a COVID-19 vaccine workgroup. Resignations and leadership changes signaled deep internal revolt.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention leadership was in stunning disarray Wednesday evening after the Trump administration fired the agency's director hours after she refused to resign under pressure. The director, Susan Monarez, said she was resisting being ousted by the nation's top health official, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., for political reasons after about a month in office.
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, said her lawyers, Mark Zaid and Abbe Lowell. Dr. Monarez has neither resigned nor received notification from the White House that she has been fired, and as a person of integrity and devoted to science, she will not resign, added the attorneys, who did not reply to a request for comment.
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.
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