Overview

• Health and Human Services announced on X that Susan Monarez is no longer CDC director less than a month after her July 31 swearing-in following Senate confirmation on July 29.
• The White House said it terminated Monarez after she refused to resign and was not aligned with the president’s agenda, while her attorneys said she has neither resigned nor been formally notified of a firing and will not step down.
• Four senior CDC officials resigned, including chief medical officer Debra Houry, immunization chief Demetre Daskalakis, zoonotic diseases head Daniel Jernigan, and data chief Jen Layden, with letters citing the weaponizing of public health, misinformation, and cuts to budget and staff.
• News reports link the standoff to Monarez’s resistance to vaccine policy shifts led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has overhauled the CDC’s advisory panel and announced narrower COVID-19 vaccine eligibility for seniors and high‑risk people.
• The leadership crisis follows an August shooting at CDC headquarters and comes during sweeping restructuring and layoffs, prompting concerns about the agency’s stability and scientific independence.