U.S. CDC Director Removed from Her Post
(MENAFN) Less than four weeks after stepping into her role, Susan Monarez, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), was abruptly removed from her post on Wednesday—marking the shortest tenure for any CDC chief in the agency's history.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) confirmed her departure in a brief statement posted on X, formerly Twitter, offering no further details. “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,” the agency said.
Hours later, Monarez’s legal representatives disputed the government’s account. In a sharply worded statement, they asserted she had not resigned nor been officially dismissed.
The legal team accused HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of politicizing the nation’s public health infrastructure. “Weaponizing public health for political gain,” they claimed, Kennedy had jeopardized “millions of American lives” by targeting federal health officials.
Shortly after that rebuttal, the White House formally terminated Monarez’s employment.
“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,” said White House spokesperson Kush Desai in an official statement.
According to media, citing two unnamed sources familiar with internal discussions, Monarez had been “pressed for days” by Kennedy, government attorneys, and senior officials to clarify her stance on revoking certain authorizations for COVID-19 vaccines.
The newspaper added, “Kennedy, who has a long history of anti-vaccine advocacy, and other officials questioned Monarez on Monday on whether she was aligned with the administration's efforts to change vaccine policy, the people said.”
On the same day as Monarez’s removal, several high-ranking officials at the CDC also submitted their resignations. Multiple U.S. media outlets reported that the departures were driven by growing frustration over vaccine strategies, concerns about misinformation, and the perceived politicization of health guidance.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
