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CDC Director Susan Monarez Fired After Vaccine Policy Clash as Top Scientists Quit

The firing followed clashes over Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s push to narrow COVID-19 vaccine policy, crystallizing a legal and scientific standoff at the CDC.

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FILE PHOTO: Susan Monarez, U.S. President Donald Trump's nominee to be director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, testifies before a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 25, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Mohatt/File Photo
FILE - Susan Monarez, President Donald Trump's nominee to be director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, arrives to testify before the Senate HELP Committee, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, file)
Dr. Susan Monarez testifies during a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing on her nomination to be Director of the CDC, at the U.S. Capitol, in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, June 25, 2025.

Overview

  • Saying she was not aligned with the President’s agenda, the White House confirmed it terminated Monarez after HHS posted that she was no longer director.
  • Monarez’s attorneys said she neither resigned nor received a firing notice and vowed to challenge what they called retaliation for refusing “unscientific, reckless directives.”
  • Senior leaders Debra Houry, Demetre Daskalakis, Daniel Jernigan and Jen Layden resigned, with letters warning of politicized decision-making and harm to public health.
  • The showdown came as FDA limited new COVID-19 vaccines to adults 65+ and certain high‑risk people, following broader administration moves to scale back vaccine recommendations and revamp advisory panels.
  • Monarez was confirmed July 29 and sworn in July 31 as the first Senate‑confirmed CDC director, leaving the agency in flux less than a month into her tenure.