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6h ago

HHS Says CDC Director Is Out as Top Agency Leaders Resign

Conflicting accounts of Susan Monarez’s status coincide with HHS tightening Covid vaccine eligibility.

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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)
© Photo by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images

Overview

  • The Health and Human Services Department posted that Susan Monarez is no longer the CDC director less than a month after her Senate confirmation and swearing‑in.
  • Monarez’s attorneys said she has neither resigned nor received official notice of termination and alleged she was targeted for refusing to endorse what they called unscientific directives.
  • CDC Chief Medical Officer Debra Houry, immunization chief Demetre Daskalakis and zoonotic diseases director Daniel Jernigan resigned the same day, with letters citing politicization, rising misinformation and planned cuts.
  • The departures came as HHS announced changes that limit who is eligible for Covid‑19 vaccination compared with prior seasons.
  • No reason has been publicly provided for Monarez’s removal; multiple outlets, citing unnamed sources, reported a recent clash with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over vaccine policy.