Overview

• Susan Monarez was removed less than a month after being sworn in, with the White House saying she was not aligned with the president’s agenda.
• Monarez’s attorneys said she has not been properly notified of a firing, will not resign, and was targeted for refusing to approve what they called unscientific directives.
• Four senior CDC officials resigned the same day — Debra Houry, Demetre Daskalakis, Daniel Jernigan and Jennifer Layden — citing the politicization of public health, budget cuts and revised vaccine guidance.
• HHS under Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has overhauled the vaccine advisory panel and narrowed COVID-19 vaccine eligibility, and the FDA on Wednesday limited access to updated shots to older adults and those at higher risk.
• No successor has been publicly named as the CDC grapples with layoffs, proposed budget reductions and the recent campus shooting linked to vaccine misinformation, and Senate leaders signaled oversight of the upheaval.