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5h ago

HHS Says Susan Monarez Is Out as CDC Director After Weeks on the Job

Monarez’s attorneys dispute her removal, saying she has not resigned or received notice of dismissal.

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)
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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

Overview

  • Susan Monarez was confirmed July 29, sworn in July 31, and is now the shortest-serving CDC director after HHS posted that she is no longer in the role without giving a reason.
  • The Washington Post first reported the ouster, and HHS and the White House did not immediately comment beyond the brief statement.
  • Monarez’s lawyers said she has neither resigned nor been formally notified of termination and asserted she refused to endorse what they called unscientific directives.
  • Internal emails and subsequent reporting show multiple senior CDC officials resigned the same day, including Chief Medical Officer Debra Houry and center heads Demetre Daskalakis and Daniel Jernigan.
  • The leadership shake-up follows an Aug. 8 shooting at CDC’s Atlanta campus and coincides with contested shifts in federal vaccine policy; Monarez had recently canceled a planned agencywide staff call on safety and security.