CDC Director Fired Amid Mass Resignation of Health Officials

Sat Sep 13 2025 06:14:12 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

The White House has terminated CDC Director Susan Monarez after she resisted pressure to endorse policies she deemed unscientific, igniting a wave of resignations within the agency.

The White House has fired Susan Monarez, the Director of the CDC, after she refused to align with the administration's agenda. Her removal has led to a series of high-profile resignations within the agency, highlighting tensions over public health directives. Monarez's removal raises significant questions regarding the future direction of the CDC under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a noted vaccine skeptic.

CDC Director Fired Amid Mass Resignation of Health Officials

The White House says it has fired the director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Susan Monarez, after she refused to resign. In a statement, it said she was 'not aligned with the president's agenda' and she had been removed from her position at the health agency. The US health department earlier announced her departure, which prompted a statement from Dr Monarez's lawyers who said she had not been told of her removal and she would not resign.

The lawyers stated she was being targeted for refusing 'to rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives and fire dedicated health experts' and accused Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of 'weaponizing public health'.

'As her attorney's statement makes abundantly clear, Susan Monarez is not aligned with the president's agenda,' the White House said later on Wednesday.

Dr. Monarez, confirmed in July by the Senate, was the first CDC director in 50 years without a medical degree, and her tenure was marked by controversy.

Following her ouster, at least three senior CDC leaders, including Chief Medical Officer Debra Houry, resigned, alarmed by the new administration's approach to public health amidst misinformation surrounding vaccines.

Concerns have been raised regarding the agency's future direction under Kennedy, who has openly expressed skepticism about vaccines.

Earlier on Wednesday, the FDA approved new COVID vaccines with limitations set on who could receive them, further complicating the agency's mission.