Overview

• Susan Monarez was declared “no longer” CDC director by HHS, the White House said she was terminated for not aligning with the president’s agenda, and her attorneys say she has neither resigned nor been properly removed and will contest the action.
• Four senior CDC officials — Debra Houry, Daniel Jernigan, Demetre Daskalakis and Jennifer Layden — resigned, and three were escorted from the Atlanta headquarters as the leadership crisis deepened.
• Kennedy reshaped the CDC’s vaccine advisory process and pushed policy changes, prompting bipartisan calls for oversight and a Senate Finance Committee hearing where he is scheduled to testify on Sept. 4.
• The upheaval coincided with the FDA revoking emergency authorization for earlier Covid-19 vaccines and authorizing updated shots with limited eligibility for older adults and people at high risk.
• Two administration officials said Jim O’Neill is expected to replace Monarez, but no formal appointment has been announced.