Former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Susan Monarez is refusing to leave her position after being fired from the role by President Donald Trump’s administration.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced her removal less than a month into the job.
Democrat-aligned attorneys Mark Zaid and Abbe Lowell, who represent Monarez, claimed she “has neither resigned nor yet been fired.”
In their statement, they accuse HHS and Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of weaponizing public health for political purposes.
“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,” the statement read.
“For that, she has been targeted.
“Dr. Monarez has neither resigned nor received notification from the White House that she has been fired, and as a person of integrity and devoted to science, she will not resign.”
According to reporting from The Washington Post, anonymous CDC sources said HHS leaders, including Kennedy, pressured Monarez to rescind approvals for certain Covid “vaccines.”
When she did not immediately comply, officials reportedly told her she must resign or be fired.
Monarez allegedly sought the involvement of Senate health committee chairman Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), further escalating tensions.
HHS released its own statement on X:
“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.
“Secretary Kennedy has full confidence in his team at the CDC, who will continue to be vigilant in protecting Americans against infectious diseases at home and abroad.”
The White House also confirmed her removal.
“As her attorney’s statement makes abundantly clear, Susan Monarez is not aligned with the President’s agenda of Making America Healthy Again,” White House spokesman Kush Desai said.
“Since Susan Monarez refused to resign despite informing HHS leadership of her intent to do so, the White House has terminated Monarez from her position with the CDC.”
Monarez, tapped after Trump’s initial nominee Dave Weldon withdrew in March, became the first-ever Senate-confirmed CDC director in late July.
During her confirmation hearing, she affirmed her support for vaccines and told lawmakers she has “not seen a causal link between vaccines and autism.”
Monarez was also the first CDC director in more than 70 years without a medical degree, though she holds a Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology and has held senior positions across multiple federal agencies, including the National Security Council and ARPA-H.
The fallout extended beyond Monarez.
At least three senior CDC officials resigned following the news: Demetre Daskalakis, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases; Dr. Daniel Jernigan, director of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases; and CDC Chief Medical Officer Debra Houry.
In a resignation letter posted to X, Daskalakis cited “the views” of Kennedy and his staff as a key reason for his departure.
He wrote that he could not remain at an agency being used “as a tool” to pursue policies that “do not reflect scientific reality.”
Daskalakis specifically criticized changes to vaccine schedules for children and adults, claiming they “threaten the lives of the youngest Americans and pregnant people.”
He also condemned the administration’s efforts to “erase transgender populations, cease critical domestic and international HIV programming, and terminate key research.”
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