Monarez’s lawyers claim this attack reflects a broader “dismantling of public health institutions”
After less than a month on the job, the newly appointed director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Susan Monarez, is no longer with the agency. The Department of Health and Human Services confirmed the change on its X account. HHS officials offered no explanation as to why Monarez is no longer holding the position.
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. @SecKennedy has full confidence in his team at @CDCgov who will continue to be vigilant in protecting Americans against infectious…
— HHS.gov (@HHSGov) August 27, 2025
On Wednesday evening, Monarez’s lawyers Mark Zaid and Abbe David Lowell issued a statement to the Associated Press claiming she had neither resigned nor been told she was fired.
“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. For that, she has been targeted,” the attorneys wrote.
“This is not about one official. It is about the systematic dismantling of public health institutions, the silencing of experts, and the dangerous politicization of science. The attack on Dr. Monarez is a warning to every American: our evidence-based systems are being undermined from within,” they added.
Her departure this week coincided with the resignations of at least four top CDC officials, according to the AP. Among them is Debra Houry, deputy director, who mentioned the negative effects of planned budget cuts, reorganization and firings in an email seen by an AP reporter. Former director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Demetre Daskalakis, resigned after Monarez’s departure as well, publishing a letter that denounced political interference, data manipulation and what he called a decline in scientific integrity.
My resignation letter from CDC.
Dear Dr. Houry,
I am writing to formally resign from my position as Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), effective August 28, 2025, close of business.…
— DrDemetre (@dr_demetre) August 27, 2025
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Elizabeth Ahern
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