The White House has terminated Susan Monarez as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) just one month after her Senate confirmation, citing misalignment with President Donald Trump’s agenda.

Monarez’s lawyers and departing CDC officials accused Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of “weaponizing public health,” triggering a wave of resignations and raising concerns about the agency’s direction.

Monarez, a long-time federal scientist specializing in infectious disease research, was fired after refusing to resign, according to her attorneys, Mark Zaid and Abbe Lowell.

They stated she was targeted for rejecting “unscientific, reckless directives” and protecting public health over political agendas. “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,” her lawyers said in a statement.

The White House confirmed her termination, with spokesperson Kush Desai noting, “Susan Monarez is not aligned with the President’s agenda of Making America Healthy Again.”

The dismissal followed a dispute with Kennedy, a known vaccine skeptic, over changes to vaccine policy.

The New York Times reported that Kennedy demanded Monarez’s resignation on August 25, 2025, after she resisted altering COVID-19 vaccine guidelines without consulting advisors.

When she refused, Kennedy reportedly ordered her to fire top CDC officials, prompting her to contact Senator Bill Cassidy, chair of the Senate Health Committee, which escalated tensions.

At least four senior CDC leaders resigned in protest, including Chief Medical Officer Debra Houry, who warned of the “rise of misinformation” about vaccines, and Demetre Daskalakis, head of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, who cited the “ongoing weaponizing of public health.”

Daniel Jernigan, leader of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, and Jennifer Layden, director of public health data, also stepped down, pointing to Kennedy’s leadership and policy shifts.

The same day, the Food and Drug Administration, under Kennedy’s oversight, limited COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to seniors and those with underlying conditions, rescinding broader emergency authorizations. Kennedy announced on X, “The emergency use authorizations for Covid vaccines, once used to justify broad mandates, are now rescinded.” This followed his earlier moves to replace the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel with skeptics and cut $500 million in mRNA vaccine research funding.

Monarez’s brief tenure was marked by challenges, including a shooting at the CDC’s Atlanta headquarters on August 8, 2025, by a gunman upset over COVID vaccines, which killed a police officer.

She sought to reassure staff, but her efforts were curtailed by HHS canceling a planned all-hands meeting. The agency also faced 600 layoffs, impacting infectious disease and public health programs, further straining morale.

The leadership exodus and policy shifts raise questions about the CDC’s ability to respond to public health crises, with experts warning of diminished preparedness. The situation underscores ongoing tensions between scientific integrity and political priorities within the nation’s top public health agency.