CDC Director Susan Monarez ousted weeks after she was confirmed by Senate Olivia RinaldiAugust 28, 2025 at 12:32 AM Michael Brochstein Susan Monarez, the director of the U.S.
- - CDC Director Susan Monarez ousted weeks after she was confirmed by Senate
Olivia RinaldiAugust 28, 2025 at 12:32 AM
Michael Brochstein
Susan Monarez, the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is being ousted from her role less than a month after the Senate confirmed her to lead the public health agency, a source familiar with the matter confirmed to CBS News.
It's not clear why Monarez was removed from the job. She was confirmed by the Senate in a party-line vote in late July, after previously serving as the agency's acting head starting in January.
The Department of Health and Human Services later confirmed on X that Monarez no longer leads the CDC. The post thanked her "for her dedicated service for the American people," and said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. "has full confidence in his team" at the CDC.
The news was first reported by The Washington Post.
CBS News has reached out to the CDC for comment.
At least three other senior CDC leaders have resigned from the agency, according to resignation emails obtained by CBS News.
Daniel Jernigan, who led the CDC's National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, told colleagues he was leaving due to "the current context in the Department." The CDC's Chief Medical Officer Debra Houry and the head of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Demetre Deskalakis, also announced their departures.
Houry's message to CDC staffers warned about the "rise of misinformation" about vaccines. She also argued planned cuts to the agency's budget will hurt the CDC.
"For the good of the nation and the world, the science at CDC should never be censored or subject to political pauses or interpretations," wrote Houry, who worked at the CDC for over a decade. "Vaccines save lives—this is an indisputable, well-established, scientific fact."
Daskalakis said in a note to CDC staff: "I am not able to serve in this role any longer because of the ongoing weaponizing of public health."
The sudden departures come at a tumultuous time for the public health agency. Staff are still reeling from an early August shooting outside the CDC's Atlanta headquarters by a gunman who police said was upset about COVID-19 vaccines.
Kennedy — a longtime vaccine skeptic — also fired every member of an independent CDC panel tasked with making vaccine recommendations, and the agency has faced hundreds of layoffs this year.
President Trump nominated Monarez to lead the CDC in late March, calling her a "dedicated public servant" who could repair what he called a loss of public confidence in the CDC "due to political bias and disastrous mismanagement."
She was nominated to lead the agency after Mr. Trump pulled his initial pick for the job, former Florida Rep. Dave Weldon, a physician who was controversial in part due to his past skepticism of vaccines. In private meetings with Weldon, some Republican senators and their staffers grew concerned that he seemed unfamiliar with the CDC, CBS News reported at the time.
Monarez holds a PhD in microbiology and immunology, though unlike most prior CDC directors, she is not a medical doctor. She previously served as deputy director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, a federal agency that backs advanced medical research. She also worked in the Obama-era White House's science and technology office and the Department of Homeland Security during Mr. Trump's first term.
During a Senate confirmation hearing, Monarez said she has "not seen a causal link between vaccines and autism" — refuting a discredited theory raised by Kennedy.
"Vaccines absolutely save lives, and if I'm confirmed as CDC director, I commit to making sure we continue to prioritize vaccine availability," Monarez told lawmakers.
This is a breaking story; it will be .
Extreme weather slams the West with dust storms and wildfires
Cracker Barrel scrapping new logo, returning to old one after backlash
Parkland survivor says Annunciation Catholic School students "won't be the same" after shooting
Source: "AOL Money"
Source: DEVI MAG
Read More >> Full Article on Source: DEVI MAG
#LALifestyle #USCelebrities