US EditionUS CDC chief out after weeks in role, challenges ouster as four top officials resign
Susan Monarez was ousted after opposing HHS Secretary Kennedy's vaccine policy changes, sparking resignations from five senior CDC officials amid agency turmoil.
- Susan Monarez was dismissed as CDC director less than a month following her swearing-in on July 31, according to an announcement from HHS on Wednesday.
- Her departure followed internal clashes with HHS Secretary Kennedy after Monarez refused to fire three senior CDC officials amid policy disputes.
- Four other top CDC leaders, including Deb Houry, Dan Jernigan, Demetre Daskalakis, and Jen Layden, resigned citing ongoing weaponization of public health and misinformation.
- Earlier Wednesday, Kennedy's FDA narrowed eligibility for updated COVID vaccines to adults 65 and older or younger high-risk groups, with Monarez's CDC advisory panel set to review the decision.
- Experts warn Monarez’s ouster and leadership turmoil under Kennedy threaten the CDC's ability to safeguard public health and risk destabilizing national health security.
62 Articles
62 Articles
A coup against science: Kennedy tries to push out CDC director, four other public health officials resign
In the starkest expression of his war against science and public health, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has demanded the resignation of the director of the Centers for Disease Control, career scientist Susan Monarez, triggering the resignation in protest by four other high-level public health officials.
Just appointed head of the main health agency, Susan Monarez was thanked and refused to comply with the anti-vax requirements of the Minister of Health.
The administration of US President Donald Trump confirmed on Wednesday evening that it had fired the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Susan Monarez after she refused to resign following a dispute with Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr.
White House fires health agency head who refused to quit
WASHINGTON - The Trump administration confirmed Wednesday it had fired the head of the top US public health agency after she refused to step down during a standoff with vaccine sceptic Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr.
Again and again, U.S. Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spreads false claims about vaccinations and announces dismissals. Now he gets strong headwinds from an authority: a high-ranking official opposes her dismissal - and her lawyers do not save with clear words.
White House Fires CDC Director After She Refuses To Resign: Clash With RFK Jr Over COVID-19 Vaccines Doomed Director Just Weeks Into the Job
Susan Monarez resisted Kennedy’s demands to reshape Covid-19 vaccine guidelines and fire senior staff, triggering a back-and-forth that ended in her ouster.
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