.

A few weeks after being confirmed by the Senate, Susan Monarez has been forced out of her role as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the latest in a series of significant shake-ups at the beleaguered public health agency.

The first reports of her ouster came from The Washington Post and were based on several officials within the Trump administration. After Ars Technica reached out to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to confirm the reports, the agency redirected us to its own post on the official X account. The statement, which was attributed to the agency but had no author, said:

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. @SecKennedy has full confidence in his team at @CDCgov, who will continue to be vigilant in protecting Americans against infectious diseases at home and abroad.”

However, the post did not provide any reason for the change. According to The Washington Post, Monarez had been repeatedly pressured by the U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—a leading anti-vaccine advocate—over her approach to COVID-19 vaccines. He reportedly asked her to reverse approvals of the vaccines, which she refused to do without first consulting the CDC’s vaccine advisory committees. Kennedy then told her that she must resign, having accused her of failing to support President Trump’s policies.

Monarez refused to resign voluntarily and instead reached out to Senator Bill Cassidy (R-La. ), who had played a critical role in Kennedy’s own Senate confirmation earlier this year after receiving assurances from him. Cassidy subsequently pushed back against Kennedy’s demands, which led to a tense confrontation. After that conversation, administration officials told Monarez that she would have to either resign or be fired.

Her lawyers, Mark Zaid and Abbe Lowell, released a statement on social media explaining that Monarez has not resigned and has not been formally given notice of her termination by the White House. “Her ouster came after she refused to rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives and fire dedicated health experts,” the statement said. “She chose protecting the public over serving a political agenda.” Zaid later confirmed to Ars Technica that as of 8:15 p.m. ET on August 27, Monarez had still not received any official termination notice.

CDC Public Health Agency at Breaking Point

Monarez’s confirmation late last month was seen as a major step forward. She was confirmed by a 51–47 vote along strict party lines and became the first CDC director ever subject to Senate confirmation after a law passed in 2022 that required it. Kennedy himself administered the oath on July 31, saying at the time that he was “mindful of the great work of [Monarez’s] distinguished predecessors” and praising her “unimpeachable scientific credentials.” He said that he was confident that Monarez could help restore the CDC’s credibility.

Monarez has a long and respected résumé. She has a PhD in microbiology and immunology and had most recently served as deputy director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) under the Biden administration. Before that, she had worked at the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), the Department of Homeland Security, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and the National Security Council. She had also previously served as the acting CDC director earlier this year before stepping down when Trump nominated her for the role.

Public health experts had generally applauded her appointment. Jennifer Nuzzo of Brown University called Monarez a “loyal, hardworking civil servant who leads with evidence and pragmatism,” while Georges Benjamin, who leads the American Public Health Association, described her as a “solid researcher and a capable manager.”

But her short tenure in the role ended amid significant turmoil. The CDC has seen hundreds of employees leave the agency through buyouts and layoffs, while many of its programs have also been cut or otherwise hampered. Kennedy himself has stoked controversy by calling COVID-19 vaccines “the deadliest vaccine ever made” and declaring that the CDC was “a cesspool of corruption.”

On August 8, tragedy struck when a gunman radicalized by vaccine misinformation opened fire on the CDC campus. After discharging nearly 500 rounds, the shooter, who blamed vaccines for his own health problems, struck six different CDC buildings with around 200 rounds. One local police officer was killed, and terrified staff members had to run for their lives. (The shooter was later killed by responding law enforcement officers.)

The fallout from Monarez’s reported removal has deepened the agency’s ongoing crisis. Stat News has also confirmed that three high-ranking officials have resigned: Daniel Jernigan, director of the National Center for Emerging Zoonotic Infectious Diseases; Deb Houry, the CDC’s Chief Medical Officer; and Demetre Daskalakis, who led the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.

In his departure message, Daskalakis wrote, “I am not able to serve in this role any longer because of the ongoing weaponization of public health.” Houry’s farewell note emphasized that science must “never be censored or subject to political interpretations.”

Earlier the same day, Politico reported that Jennifer Layden, who leads the Office of Public Health Data, Surveillance, and Technology, had also resigned.

For many, both inside and outside the CDC, these events represent a new low for an agency that had once been the global gold standard for evidence-based public health but is now mired by resignations, political interference, and a crisis of trust at a time when public health needs are only continuing to grow.