Overview

• An official post from the Health Department and a White House statement said Susan Monarez is no longer CDC director, with a spokesperson citing a mismatch with President Donald Trump’s agenda.
• Monarez’s attorneys said she did not resign, was not properly notified of a firing, and will not vacate, alleging she was targeted for refusing “unscientific” directives including dismissing health experts.
• Several senior CDC leaders also departed, including Demetre Daskalakis, Debra Houry and Daniel Jernigan, with public statements criticizing politicization of the agency’s work.
• News outlets report Monarez clashed with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over vaccine policy changes, including his cuts to mRNA vaccine funding and his earlier removal of the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel, and that he pressured her to step down.
• Monarez was sworn in on July 31 after Senate confirmation, making her tenure the shortest for any CDC director, and her lawyers argue that only the president can lawfully remove her.