WASHINGTON — Susan Monarez, who was confirmed as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention only weeks ago, was reported earlier today to have abruptly left her post following a tumultuous month marked by sweeping changes in vaccine policy, workforce cuts, and internal dissent. Multiple outlets also reported that three other top CDC officials had resigned.
But in a late statement Wednesday, attorneys Mark S. Zaid and Abbe David Lowell, counsel for Monarez, forcefully disputed that she has stepped down.
Abbe Lowell and I represent @CDCgov Director Susan Monarez. Contrary to govt statements, Dr. Monarez has neither resigned nor yet been fired. We have issued the following statement: pic.twitter.com/5OHbwMkVIQ
— Mark S. Zaid (@MarkSZaidEsq) August 27, 2025
“Dr. Monarez has neither resigned nor received notification from the White House that she has been fired, and as a person of integrity and devoted to science, she will not resign,” the lawyers said. They accused Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of “weaponizing public health for political gain” and said Monarez was being punished for refusing to carry out “unscientific, reckless directives” and for protecting career experts at the agency.
Monarez, an infectious disease researcher and the first nonphysician to lead the CDC in more than half a century, had been acting director since President Donald Trump took office. She was nominated for the permanent role in July after Trump withdrew his initial choice, former congressman David Weldon, whose past comments linking vaccines to autism drew widespread criticism.
Bill Schiffner
Reports earlier in the day suggested that, along with Monarez, at least three CDC leaders had also resigned: Dan Jernigan of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Deb Houry, the CDC’s chief medical officer, and Demetre Daskalakis of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. As of Wednesday evening, however, their status could not be independently confirmed.
The upheaval comes amid broader unrest inside the agency. Monarez was said to have clashed with Secretary Kennedy after he overhauled the CDC’s influential vaccine advisory panel, replacing long-serving experts with outspoken vaccine skeptics, moves that alarmed public health professionals and career staff. Employees have also raised concerns about funding cuts, layoffs, and the dismantling of core CDC functions under Kennedy’s leadership.
The turmoil was compounded by tragedy earlier this month, when a gunman opened fire on the CDC’s Atlanta headquarters, killing a police officer and shattering windows before being subdued. Law enforcement said the attacker believed a COVID-19 vaccine had harmed him. In the aftermath, CDC employees issued an open letter urging Kennedy to stop spreading “inaccurate information” about vaccines. Monarez, in a separate staff message, echoed those concerns about misinformation without naming Kennedy directly.
The Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A CDC-wide call with Monarez, which had been scheduled for Monday, was abruptly canceled late last week, according to staff.
This story has been updated with new information from Monarez’s legal counsel.
