Overview

• White House spokesperson Kush Desai said Monarez was removed because she was not aligned with the president’s agenda after declining to resign.
• Monarez’s lawyers said she neither resigned nor received a termination notice and accused Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of pushing non‑scientific directives and politicizing public health.
• HHS earlier posted that Monarez was “no longer director” on X, and the Washington Post first reported the move before the White House issued its statement.
• Senior CDC official Demetre Daskalakis announced his resignation, citing pressure to produce policies and documents that did not reflect scientific reality, with reports of other departures.
• Monarez was confirmed by the Senate in late July; the agency has faced an armed attack at its Atlanta campus this month and an open letter from hundreds of staff and alumni criticizing RFK Jr.’s stance on vaccines.