The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is facing turmoil after Director Susan Monarez was dismissed by the White House due to a dispute over vaccine policy. Monarez, who was confirmed by the Senate just last month, reportedly clashed with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over his efforts to lift vaccine mandates and rescind emergency authorizations.
According to a White House statement, Monarez was terminated after refusing to resign voluntarily, with a spokesman citing that she was not aligned with the President’s agenda. However, her lawyers disputed this account, stating that Monarez had neither resigned nor received notification of her dismissal. They accused Kennedy of “weaponizing public health for political gain and putting millions of American lives at risk.”
The controversy surrounding Monarez’s dismissal comes as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved new variants of Moderna and Pfizer Covid-19 vaccines, while restricting their use to higher-risk groups. Kennedy, a longtime critic of US vaccination policy, has overseen significant changes since becoming HHS secretary, including disbanding vaccine advisory committees and cutting funding for mRNA research.
Monarez had resisted pressure to endorse these changes or dismiss senior colleagues, and her ouster has triggered the resignation of at least four senior CDC officials, including Chief Medical Officer Debra Houry and immunization director Demetre Daskalakis. The CDC director had also reached out to Senate Health Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy for support, highlighting the deepening divide within the US public health sector.
The dismissal of Monarez and the subsequent resignations have raised concerns about the systematic dismantling of public health institutions. The CDC is a critical agency in the US public health system, and the loss of experienced leaders may impact its ability to respond to future health crises. As the controversy continues to unfold, it remains to be seen how the CDC will navigate this period of turmoil and how the changes implemented by Kennedy will affect the nation’s public health landscape.
