Trump White House moves to fire CDC director over vaccine policy dispute and her refusal to resign

The Trump Administration White House has fired Dr. Susan Coller Monarez as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) only 29 days after her confirmation by the US Senate – following a confrontation over vaccine policy, triggering the resignation of several other senior officials and intensifying turmoil inside the United States’ leading public health body.

Monarez, a veteran government scientist had resisted pressure from Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to endorse changes to coronavirus vaccine policy and to dismiss senior staff. Her lawyers accused Kennedy of: “weaponising public health for political gain” and said her removal endangered millions of Americans.

“When CDC Director Susan Monarez refused to rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives and fire dedicated health experts, she chose protecting the public over serving a political agenda,” her attorneys Mark S. Zaid and Abbe Lowell stated.

They insisted she had not resigned and could only be removed directly by President Donald Trump.

Hours later, the White House announced that she had been terminated. White House Deputy Press Secretary Kush Desai said Monarez was: “not aligned with the President’s agenda of ‘Making America Healthy Again’” and had failed to resign when asked.

Zaid rejected this, maintaining that she legally remained in the post.

The dismissal followed days of tense exchanges. Kennedy and senior staff – including Stefanie Spear who is his Principal Deputy Chief of Staff and a long-term close adviser and press aide during RFK Jr.’s presidential campaign – pressed Monarez to rescind vaccine approvals and to dismiss senior CDC officials.

When Monarez declined to commit without consultation, Kennedy urged her to resign for: “not supporting President Trump’s agenda”, according to people familiar with the discussions.

Instead, she sought backing from Senator Bill Cassidy – a medical doctor and moderate Republican – who is chair of the Senate Health Committee, who had supported Kennedy’s confirmation after receiving assurances over vaccine policy. Cassidy resisted Kennedy’s demands, further straining relations.

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The crisis culminated on 27 August when the HHS announced Monarez was no longer CDC director. Monarez’s lawyers responded immediately, describing the action as unlawful. They notified the White House Counsel of their position.

Her dismissal coincided with the resignation of three senior officials, including chief medical officer Dr. Debra Houry, infectious-disease leader Dr. Dan Jernigan, and respiratory illness expert Dr. Demetre Daskalakis.

In a resignation letter shared on social media, Daskalakis accused Kennedy of relying on: “unvetted and conflicted outside organisations” rather than scientific evidence. Houry warned that misinformation and overstating vaccine risks had already contributed to the highest measles outbreak in 30 years and to violent attacks on the Atlanta, Georgia-based agency.

On 8 August, a gunman angered by coronavirus vaccines fired hundreds of rounds at CDC buildings, killing a police officer. The White House has not commented publicly on the incident.

Kennedy has a long history of criticising the CDC as being too close to pharmaceutical interests. Since his confirmation, he has dismissed every member of the government’s vaccine advisory committee, ended research funding for messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines and restricted coronavirus vaccine approvals to those aged 65 and older or those with significant risk factors.

Public health officials fear these actions will undermine uptake of immunisation programmes and lead to otherwise preventable deaths.

Monarez’s tenure is among the shortest of any Trump administration appointee, during her confirmation hearing she had reassured senators that she supported immunisation and scientific rigour.

The CDC is expected to release fresh recommendations on coronavirus vaccines shortly. Before his appointment, Kennedy had falsely described the vaccines as: “the deadliest vaccine ever made” and claimed they contained poison. At his own Senate confirmation hearings, however, he denied being anti-vaccine and said he sought more evidence of efficacy.

Despite her removal, Monarez has continued to claim legal authority as director. Whether President Trump will intervene directly to resolve the dispute remains unclear at this time.