CDC Chief Fired After Vaccine Policy Clash with Kennedy

By Staff, Agencies

The White House has dismissed Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] Director Susan Monarez after a standoff over COVID-19 vaccine policy, setting off a wave of resignations among senior health officials.

Monarez, confirmed by the Senate only last month, reportedly defied Health and Human Services [HHS] Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s efforts to roll back vaccine mandates and restrict access to Covid-19 shots. White House spokesman Kush Desai said on Wednesday that Monarez was removed because she was “not aligned with the president’s agenda of Making America Healthy Again.”

Her attorneys, Mark Zaid and Abbe Lowell, rejected the White House narrative, arguing that Monarez had neither resigned nor been officially notified of her dismissal. They accused Kennedy of “weaponizing public health for political gain and putting millions of American lives at risk,” warning that her removal is part of a broader “systematic dismantling of public health institutions”.

The turmoil unfolded as the Food and Drug Administration approved new formulations of Moderna and Pfizer vaccines while ending emergency authorizations and limiting distribution to higher-risk groups.

Since assuming office earlier this year, Kennedy has moved aggressively to reshape vaccine policy, disbanding advisory panels and cutting funding for mRNA research. In a post on X, he claimed the new approach “delivers science, safety, and common sense”.

Monarez had resisted pressure to endorse the changes or force out senior colleagues, even seeking support from Senate Health Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy, who had been a key ally in her confirmation.

Her firing triggered at least four resignations inside the CDC, including Chief Medical Officer Debra Houry, immunization director Demetre Daskalakis, infectious disease chief Daniel Jernigan, and data director Jennifer Layden.

Monarez was Trump’s second nominee for the post, put forward after Congressman Dave Weldon withdrew amid controversy over his vaccine stance. Under pandemic-era legislation, the CDC director now requires Senate confirmation.