The White House said late Wednesday that Dr. Susan Monarez, the new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has been removed from her post.
A White House spokesperson said Monarez is “not aligned with the President’s agenda of Making America Healthy Again.”
An infectious disease researcher, Monarez had been sworn in less than a month ago following her confirmation by the Senate. The White House said Thursday that Jim O’Neill, a top deputy to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., will serve as acting director.
Clashing over vaccines: Kennedy tried to fire Monarez earlier in the week, but the CDC chief refused to step down, saying Kennedy lacked the authority to remove her.
Kennedy and Monarez had reportedly clashed over vaccine policy. Kennedy is a vaccine skeptic and recently replaced all 17 members of the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee with like-minded allies. According to STAT News, Kennedy wanted Monarez to accept all of the committee’s recommendations, as well as to fire numerous agency officials, but Monarez refused.
Monarez's lawyers said that she had been targeted for political reasons. “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,” they said in a statement.
Kennedy told Fox News Thursday that the CDC “is in trouble, needs to be fixed, adding that the agency’s leadership “needs to execute Trump's agenda.”
Monarez's firing has prompted numerous officials to resign in protest. At least four top CDC officials have announced they are leaving, NBC News reports, including Dr. Debra Houry, the chief medical officer; Dr. Daniel Jernigan, the director of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases; and Dr. Jen Layden, director of the Office of Public Health Data, Surveillance and Technology.