WASHINGTON and ATLANTA — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is facing its most severe crisis in decades following the ouster of Director Rochelle Walensky and the mass resignation of senior officials, triggering protests from agency staff and bipartisan criticism in Congress.
Since President Donald Trump’s second term began, the CDC has faced mounting attacks: a sweeping purge of its public health staff and programs, including mass layoffs and the censorship of scientific content on sensitive topics such as LGBT health and HIV prevention, marked a sharp break with precedent.
On August 8, a mentally distressed, anti-COVID-vaccine shooter shot more than 500 rounds at the agency’s Atlanta campus. Police officer David Rose was killed, shattering windows across multiple buildings and further demoralizing staff already shaken by the agency’s politically driven restructuring. In response, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visited the site days later, but many employees and observers saw it as insufficient amidst rising demands for scientific integrity.
Power Struggle Over Vaccines
The turmoil intensified on Wednesday when RFK Jr. demanded that Monarez fire key career officials and agree to follow the recommendations of a restructured vaccine advisory committee, which would be filled with his appointees, many of whom question the safety of established immunizations. Monarez refused, calling the demands illegal and unscientific, according to her lawyers. The White House later said that President Trump had fired her, although Monarez contested the authority of anyone but the president himself to remove her.
Thorvardur de Shong
Within hours, Kennedy announced that Jim O’Neill, a former biotech executive and deputy at the HHS, would serve as the acting CDC director. Monarez, confirmed by the Senate only weeks earlier, lost access to her government email.
Wave of Resignations and Staff Protest
The dispute triggered a cascade of resignations among top CDC leaders, including Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, head of immunization and respiratory diseases; Dr. Debra Houry, chief medical officer; and Dr. Daniel Jernigan, director of the Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology. They were joined by Dr. Jennifer Layden and others, many of whom cited political interference and unscientific directives as reasons for leaving.
“I very specifically used the term pregnant people, and very specifically added my pronouns at the end of my resignation letter to make the point that I am defying this terrible strategy at trying to erase people and not allowing them to express their identities,” Daskalakis said on CNN.
Dozens of staff staged a rare walkout at the agency’s Atlanta headquarters Thursday in a “clap out” protest, applauding the departing leaders as security escorted them from the building. Employees described the moment as both defiant and heartbreaking, highlighting their fear that the CDC’s scientific integrity is being dismantled.
BREAKING: CDC staff members are greeted by supporters as they stage a walkout at their headquarters in Atlanta in protest against RFK Jr.pic.twitter.com/sgALjY3K17
— PoliticsVideoChannel (@politvidchannel) August 28, 2025
Bipartisan Pushback and Public Alarm
The upheaval has provoked bipartisan backlash. Senator Bill Cassidy (R-La.), chair of the Senate health committee, called for delaying the September vaccine advisory meeting, warning that any recommendations would “lack legitimacy.” Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) said there was “no basis” for Monarez’s removal. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) labeled Kennedy’s actions a “war on science.” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer went further, demanding Kennedy’s immediate dismissal, saying his “conspiracy-based attacks on proven science” put Americans at risk.
Public health experts warn that the purge has left the CDC leaderless at a perilous time. Lawrence Gostin of Georgetown University said the resignations left the agency “weakened, gutted and utterly dispirited,” while former acting director Richard Besser called the move “deeply disturbing.” Experts fear the United States will be unprepared should another pandemic or major outbreak occur.
Political Stakes
The White House defended the shake-up, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt saying officials who do not align with the president’s agenda “will gladly be shown the door.” Supporters of Kennedy’s reforms argue the CDC failed during the COVID-19 pandemic and needs structural change. However, critics argue that Kennedy, a long-time vaccine skeptic, is politicizing science and eroding trust in life-saving immunization programs.
“It was President Trump who was overwhelmingly reelected on November 5. This woman has never received a vote in her life,” Leavitt said. “If people are not aligned with the president’s vision and the secretary’s vision to make our country healthy again, then we will gladly show them the door.”
What Comes Next
The CDC’s vaccine advisory panel is scheduled to meet in mid-September, with topics including hepatitis B, COVID-19, and childhood immunizations on the agenda. Lawmakers, medical organizations, and agency veterans are pressing for a pause until stability is restored.
For now, the nation’s top public health agency remains in disarray, its future uncertain as political battles threaten to overshadow its mission. As one senior official put it: “When the next emergency hits, and it will, it will knock on the CDC’s door and there will be no one there because all the top scientists have left or are leaving.”
