Susan Monarez, a veteran federal scientist who was confirmed as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in late July, has stepped down just weeks into her tenure.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) confirmed her resignation Wednesday evening in a post on X, stating: “Susan Monarez is no longer director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We thank her for her dedicated service to the American people.” The statement added that HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy “has full confidence in his team” at the CDC but gave no explanation for Monarez’s abrupt departure.
According to reporting by The Washington Post, Monarez was pressured to resign after refusing to commit to supporting the administration’s changes to federal coronavirus vaccine policy without first consulting her advisers. Sources told the paper that Monarez further angered Kennedy when she sought guidance from Republican Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana. She was reportedly told to resign or face dismissal.
Kennedy, a vocal critic of vaccines, has sought to reshape national health policy. Earlier this week, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved new COVID-19 shots under tighter restrictions, limiting their use to people considered high-risk. Earlier in August, HHS announced plans to scale back federal development of mRNA vaccines, despite experts crediting the technology with saving millions of lives during the pandemic.
Monarez’s exit triggered a wave of resignations among senior CDC officials, according to reports from STAT and The Guardian. Daniel Jernigan, head of the National Center for Emerging Zoonotic Infectious Diseases; Deb Houry, the agency’s Chief Medical Officer; and Demetre Daskalakis, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, all stepped down in protest.
In an email cited by STAT, Daskalakis said he could not continue in his role because of the “ongoing weaponization of public health.” Houry, in her resignation note, emphasized that science should “never be censored or subject to political interpretations.”
Monarez had been nominated to lead the CDC by President Donald Trump after his initial choice, former Republican congressman David Weldon, withdrew. She made history as the first CDC director to be confirmed by the Senate and the only non-physician to ever hold the post. At her swearing-in on July 31, Kennedy praised her as a “public health expert with unimpeachable scientific credentials.”
Before taking the helm, Monarez served as Acting Director of the CDC and as Deputy Director at the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health.
Her departure also follows a period of turmoil at the CDC. On August 8, a shooting on the agency’s Atlanta campus left DeKalb County police officer David Rose dead, adding to the challenges faced by the agency in recent weeks.
Monarez is not the first top official in the Trump administration to depart soon after confirmation. Earlier this month, Internal Revenue Service chief Billy Long was removed just two months into his role. Trump’s first term was also marked by rapid dismissals, including Anthony Scaramucci’s 10-day stint as White House Communications Director and Michael Flynn’s resignation as National Security Advisor after just 24 days.
