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Susan Monarez has been forced out as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just weeks after the Senate confirmed her for the job in a political clash that’s further rocked the beleaguered public health agency.

News of the shakeup first appeared in The Washington Post, which cited several sources within the Trump administration. In response to a query from Ars Technica, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) directed us to its post on the matter on the official X account. “Susan Monarez is no longer director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” it read in part. “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.”

In what is sure to raise further questions, the post offered no reason for the change. The Washington Post reported that Monarez, whose appointment was confirmed on July 27, had come under increasing pressure from the U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—himself a controversial anti-vaccine advocate—about her handling of COVID-19 vaccines.

Kennedy reportedly asked her to rescind her approval of COVID-19 vaccines, which she refused to do without first consulting with the CDC vaccine advisory committees. Kennedy then reportedly asked her to resign, accusing her of failing to back President Trump’s agenda. Monarez refused and contacted Senator Bill Cassidy (R-La. ), who had played a key role in Kennedy’s own Senate confirmation earlier this year by securing assurances from Kennedy before voting for him.

Cassidy pushed back on Kennedy’s request, and a confrontation between the two ensued. Administration officials then told Monarez she had to resign or be fired. “She has not resigned, nor has she been provided with formal notice of termination by the White House,” her attorneys Mark Zaid and Abbe Lowell said in a statement to social media. “Her ouster came after she refused to rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives and fire dedicated health experts.” It added, “She chose protecting the public over serving a political agenda.”

Zaid confirmed to Ars Technica that Monarez had not been officially notified of her termination as of 8:15 p.m. ET on August 27.

CDC Under Siege

Monarez’s July confirmation was a major victory at the time. Approved in a 51–47 vote on strict party lines, she was the first CDC director in history to require Senate confirmation after a law passed in 2022. Kennedy himself swore her in on July 31, saying she had “impeccable scientific credentials” and expressing hope she would help turn around the agency.

Her background is extensive and distinguished. She has a PhD in microbiology and immunology and previously served as the deputy director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) under the Biden administration. Monarez also previously worked for 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 served briefly as the acting director of the CDC at the start of the year, but was removed after Trump nominated her.

Her résumé was enough to earn praise from public health experts. Brown University’s Jennifer Nuzzo called her a “loyal, hardworking civil servant who leads with evidence and pragmatism,” while American Public Health Association head Georges Benjamin said of her: “She’s a strong researcher and competent manager.”

But her tenure has ended during a period of crisis at the CDC. The CDC has been losing hundreds of staff to layoffs and buyouts in recent months. A number of its programs have been targeted for cuts or interference. And Kennedy himself has stirred controversy with statements like “COVID vaccines are the deadliest vaccine ever made” and that the CDC is “a cesspool of corruption.”

That wasn’t even the worst news. On August 8, a gunman radicalized by vaccine misinformation opened fire on the CDC campus. Nearly 500 rounds were fired during the attack, and about 200 hit six different buildings at the CDC. A local police officer was killed, and many employees ran for their lives as the shooter made his way around the campus. He was arrested not far from the CDC and blamed vaccines for his own health problems and wealth when radicalizing for the shooting, and he had come to the CDC because he deliberately targeted it.

On top of that, Monarez’s reported removal comes as three high-ranking officials have resigned in quick succession. Stat News confirmed that Daniel Jernigan, the director of the National Center for Emerging Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, resigned. Deborah Houry, the CDC’s Chief Medical Officer, also left. And Demetre Daskalakis, who led the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, departed.

In his goodbye message, Daskalakis wrote: “I am not able to serve in this role any longer because of the ongoing weaponization of public health.” Houry’s message made a point to say that science “should never be censored or subject to political interpretations.”

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

The Future of the CDC

The CDC has long been considered the cornerstone of scientific, evidence-based public health in the US. At present, the CDC is facing an uphill battle. Its prestige and staffing are both down. Its programs are under attack. Kennedy is the most recent in a string of non-public health experts to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. As public health threats and misinformation mount, it’s more important than ever for the CDC to have clear direction and the freedom to do its job.