CDC Director Susan Monarez Fired Amid RFK Jr. Vaccine Clash
The CDC Director Susan Monarez fired announcement shocked Washington on Wednesday as the White House confirmed her removal less than a month after she was sworn in. Four senior officials resigned in protest, underscoring mounting tensions inside the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Monarez’s ouster came as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continues his sweeping overhaul of vaccine policy. Since May, Kennedy has withdrawn federal recommendations for COVID-19 shots for pregnant women and healthy children, fired the CDC’s expert vaccine advisory panel, and replaced them with advisers who share his skepticism of vaccines.
According to White House spokesman Kush Desai, Monarez was not “aligned with the President’s agenda of Making America Healthy Again.” Her attorneys disputed the firing, insisting she refused to resign and that she was targeted for rejecting “unscientific directives.”
The CDC Director Susan Monarez fired controversy quickly deepened as Chief Medical Officer Debra Houry, National Center for Immunization Director Demetre Daskalakis, and two other senior CDC leaders resigned, citing the rise of misinformation, political interference, and budget cuts. In resignation letters obtained by Reuters, they warned that the CDC’s policies risk returning the country to a “pre-vaccine era where only the strong survive.”
The administration has proposed slashing the CDC’s budget by nearly $3.6 billion and laying off thousands of employees. Meanwhile, the agency faces internal trauma after a shooting at its Atlanta headquarters earlier this month. Critics argue Kennedy’s restructuring is undermining the agency’s scientific integrity and national security.
The CDC Director Susan Monarez fired shake-up marks another turning point in the Biden-Trump-Kennedy era of health policy, as the United States navigates record measles outbreaks, political battles over vaccines, and an uncertain future for one of its most important public health institutions.
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Sources and further reading:
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Reuters – “US CDC chief fired after weeks in role, challenges ouster as four top officials resign”
https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-cdc-chief-fired-after-weeks-role-challenges-ouster-four-top-officials-resign-2025-08-27/ -
Washington Post – “White House fires CDC director who says RFK Jr. is ‘weaponizing public health’”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/08/27/susan-monarez-cdc-director-ousted/ -
Wall Street Journal – “Senate Republicans Express Alarm Over CDC Director’s Firing”
https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/cdc-director-refused-to-fire-leaders-approve-vaccine-recommendations-c777704c -
The Times (UK) – “CDC bosses revolt as director who ‘clashed with RFK’ refuses to step down”
https://www.thetimes.com/us/news-today/article/cdc-rfk-susan-monarez-fired-covid-vaccines-ng3hpt79m
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