US - CDC: Susan Monarez is New CDC Director - July 31, 2025 - removed Aug. 27, 2025

[sharon sanders]

From:
"Media (CDC)" <sohco@CDC.GOV>
To: <MMWR-MEDIA@LISTSERV.CDC.GOV>
Subject: Secretary Kennedy Swears in Susan Monarez as CDC Director to Advance ‘Make America Healthy Again’ Agenda
Date: Jul 31, 2025 3:21 PM

Press Release
For Immediate Release
Thursday, July 31, 2025
Contact: CDC Media Relations
(404) 639-3286         

Secretary Kennedy Swears in Susan Monarez as CDC Director to Advance ‘Make America Healthy Again’ Agenda

WASHINGTON—JULY 31, 2025—Susan Monarez, Ph.D., was sworn in today as Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.


Director Monarez, the first Senate-confirmed director of the CDC, brings decades of frontline experience in disaster preparedness, biosecurity, and health innovation. As CDC Director, she will lead the agency in its renewed mission to prevent disease and defend against health threats at home and abroad—advancing President Trump and Secretary Kennedy’s broader vision to Make America Healthy Again.

"Dr. Monarez is a public health expert with unimpeachable scientific credentials,” said Secretary Kennedy. “I have full confidence in her ability to restore the CDC’s role as the most trusted authority in public health and to strengthen our nation's readiness to confront infectious diseases and biosecurity threats."

“It is a great honor to join Secretary Kennedy and his HHS leadership team,” said Director Monarez. “I consider it a privilege to work alongside the public servants at CDC. Together, we will strengthen and modernize the nation’s public health preparedness and response through science and innovation. We will work every day at CDC to Make America Healthy Again.”

Director Monarez most recently served as Acting Director of CDC and Deputy Director for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, where she transformed the HHS operating division’s data collection, disease detection and treatment technologies. She has held previous leadership and advisory roles with Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority at HHS, the Department of Homeland Security, the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy, and the National Security Council.

Director Monarez earned her PhD in microbiology and immunology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where she conducted research on developing technologies aimed at the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of infectious diseases. She completed her postdoctoral research fellowship at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

[sharon sanders]

HHS.gov
@HHSGov
·
4h
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 diseases at home and abroad.

[SeniorLearner]

Perhaps the Secretary of HHS should take an honest count of the remaining staff at CDC who actually support him as the team leader...then reconsider who should be leaving. Books will be written over the public health disaster now unfolding from this unforgivably ignorant and toxic COVID pandemic backlash.

[sharon sanders]

I think it is important to follow only verified statements by those involved. The media is publishing a lot of rumors. Here is a documented comment:


DrDemetre
@dr_demetre
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. I am happy to stay on for two weeks to provide transition, if requested. This decision has not come easily, as I deeply value the work that the CDC does in safeguarding public health and am proud of my contributions to that critical mission. However, after much contemplation and reflection on recent developments and perspectives brought to light by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., I find that the views he and his staff have shared challenge my ability to continue in my current role at the agency and in the service of the health of the American people. Enough is enough. While I hold immense respect for the institution and my colleagues, I believe that it is imperative to align my professional responsibilities to my system of ethics and my understanding of the science of infectious disease, immunology, and my promise to serve the American people. This step is necessary to ensure that I can contribute effectively in a capacity that allows me to remain true to my principles. I am unable to serve in an environment that treats CDC as a tool to generate policies and materials that do not reflect scientific reality and are designed to hurt rather than to improve the public’s health. The recent change in the adult and children’s immunization schedule threaten the lives of the youngest Americans and pregnant people. The data analyses that supported this decision have never been shared with CDC despite my respectful requests to HHS and other leadership. This lack of meaningful engagement was further compounded by a “frequently asked questions” document written to support the Secretary’s directive that was circulated by HHS without input from CDC subject matter experts and that cited studies that did not support the conclusions that were attributed to these authors. Having worked in local and national public health for years, I have never experienced such radical non-transparency, nor have I seen such unskilled manipulation of data to achieve a political end rather than the good of the American people. It is untenable to serve in an organization that is not afforded the opportunity to discuss decisions of scientific and public health importance released under the moniker of CDC. The lack of communication by HHS and other CDC political leadership that culminates in social media posts announcing major policy changes without prior notice demonstrate a disregard of normal communication channels and common sense. Having to retrofit analyses and policy actions to match inadequately thought-out announcements in poorly scripted videos or page long X posts should not be how organizations responsible for the health of people should function. Some examples include the announcement of the change in the COVID-19 recommendations for children and pregnant people, the firing of scientists from ACIP by X post and an op-ed rather than direct communication with these valuable experts, the announcement of new ACIP members by X before onboarding and vetting have completed, and the release of term of reference for an ACIP workgroup that ignored all feedback from career staff at CDC. The recent term of reference for the COVID vaccine work group created by this ACIP puts people of dubious intent and more dubious scientific rigor in charge of recommending vaccine policy to a director hamstrung and sidelined by an authoritarian leader. Their desire to please a political base will result in death and disability of vulnerable children and adults. Their base should be the people they serve not a political voting bloc. I have always been first to challenge scientific and public health dogma in my career and was excited by the opportunity to do so again. I was optimistic that there would be an opportunity to brief the Secretary about key topics such as measles, avian influenza, and the highly coordinated approach to the respiratory virus season. Such briefings would allow exchange of ideas and a shared path to support the vision of “Making America Healthy Again.” We are seven months into the new administration, and no CDC subject matter expert from my Center has ever briefed the Secretary. I am not sure who the Secretary is listening to, but it is quite certainly not to us. Unvetted and conflicted outside organizations seem to be the sources HHS use over the gold standard science of CDC and other reputable sources. At a hearing, Secretary Kennedy said that Americans should not take medical advice from him. To the contrary, an appropriately briefed and inquisitive Secretary should be a source of health information for the people he serves. As it stands now, I must agree with him, that he should not be considered a source of accurate information. The intentional eroding of trust in low-risk vaccines favoring natural infection and unproven remedies will bring us to a pre-vaccine era where only the strong will survive and many if not all will suffer. I believe in nutrition and exercise. I believe in making our food supply healthier, and I also believe in using vaccines to prevent death and disability. Eugenics plays prominently in the rhetoric being generated and is derivative of a legacy that good medicine and science should continue to shun. The recent shooting at CDC is not why I am resigning. My grandfather, who I am named after, stood up to fascist forces in Greece and lost his life doing so. I am resigning to make him and his legacy proud. I am resigning because of the cowardice of a leader that cannot admit that HIS and his minions’ words over decades created an environment where violence like this can occur. I reject his and his colleagues’ thoughts and prayers, and advise they direct those to people that they have not actively harmed. For decades, I have been a trusted voice for the LGBTQ community when it comes to critical health topics. I must also cite the recklessness of the administration in their efforts to erase transgender populations, cease critical domestic and international HIV programming, and terminate key research to support equity as part of my decision. Public health is not merely about the health of the individual, but it is about the health of the community, the nation, the world. The nation’s health security is at risk and is in the hands of people focusing on ideological self-interest. I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for the opportunities for growth, learning, and collaboration that I have been afforded during my time at the CDC. It has been a privilege to work alongside such dedicated professionals who are committed to improving the health and well-being of communities across the nation even when under attack from within both physically and psychologically. Thank you once again for the support and guidance I have received from you and previous CDC leadership throughout my tenure. I wish the CDC continued success in its vital mission and that HHS reverse its dangerous course to dismantle public health as a practice and as an institution. If they continue the current path, they risk our personal well-being and the security of the United States.

Sincerely,

Demetre C. Daskalakis MD MPH (he/his/him)
7:14 PM · Aug 27, 2025
·
4.3M
Views

[sharon sanders]

From our X account last night:

FluTrackers.com
@FluTrackers
·
9h
US-There are news rpts about the current CDC director & others
leaving.

We have always rec that people maintain a relationship with a
medical practitioner. Local public health depts are good too.

Follow your state & local health & ag depts on X, facebook...

Take care of you.


------------------------------------------------------------------------

Do not take medical advice from the internet. Consult your medical practitioner. And - your local public health department is there to serve you. Contact them.

[sharon sanders]

And this direct statement:

[sharon sanders]

FluTrackers does not get involved in politics, however, turmoil at the HHS/CDC is noteworthy because they set national public health standards/policies.

Please use at least 2 sources for your news and insist on verified information without the various main-stream media interpretations.

[Pathfinder]

I asked Grok:

Is there a written official statement from the White House concerning the firing of CDC Director Susan Monarez?

Thought for 14s

Yes, there is a written official statement from the White House concerning the firing of CDC Director Susan Monarez. On August 27, 2025, White House spokesperson Kush Desai issued the following statement in response to reports of Monarez's removal:

"As her attorney's statement makes abundantly clear, Susan Monarez is not aligned with the President's agenda of Making America Healthy Again. 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 C.D.C."

This statement was provided via email to multiple news outlets, including The New York Times, CBS News, Politico, and others, confirming the termination after initial announcements from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that Monarez was "no longer director" of the CDC. The firing stemmed from reported disagreements over vaccine policy and directives from HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., leading to Monarez's attorneys disputing the legality of the action (arguing it required direct presidential involvement as a Senate-confirmed appointee). The statement has been widely reported across major media sources, with no subsequent White House retraction or update as of August 28, 2025.

[sharon sanders]

Via an email, Bloomberg is reporting:

snip

Jim O’Neill, the Health and Human Services deputy
secretary, will be the CDC’s acting director, according to an
all-staff email sent by Kennedy to CDC employees Thursday night.
“I want you to hear directly from me - this mission remains
strong, and so does my full confidence in you,” Kennedy wrote in
the message viewed by Bloomberg News. “Reform does not diminish
your work; it strengthens it.” O’Neill and HHS did not
immediately respond to inquiries.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

from earlier HHS statement in June 2025 -

snip

“I am deeply honored to return to HHS,” said Deputy Secretary O’Neill. “All Americans deserve to be healthy, happy, and prosperous, and President Trump and Secretary Kennedy have the right vision and leadership to get us there. I’m eager to help my colleagues find the root causes of chronic disease, support families making healthy choices, and help businesses make health care more affordable and accessible. Together all of us can make America healthy again.”

Deputy Secretary O’Neill previously served at HHS from 2002 to 2008. As the Principal Associate Deputy Secretary from 2007 to 2008 he led reforms at FDA to overhaul food safety regulations and implemented the FDA Amendments Act to improve drug and medical device safety. He helped design and launch HHS’ Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response to lead the health response to emergencies and disasters.

more.... https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/jim-o...secretary.html

[Pathfinder]

I asked Grok to provide me with the transcript of Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt's remarks on the firing of the CDC Director.

Thought for 2s

Transcript Excerpt: White House Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on the Firing of CDC Director Susan Monarez

Date: August 28, 2025
Location: James S. Brady Press Briefing Room, The White House
Source: Compiled from official White House briefing transcripts and contemporaneous reporting (e.g., C-SPAN, ABC News, Washington Examiner). The following is a focused excerpt on the CDC Director firing, based on direct quotes from Leavitt during the briefing. The full briefing covered additional topics such as federal funding pauses, vaccine policies, and international affairs.

---

MS. LEAVITT: Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for joining us today. The president is committed to making America healthy again, and that starts with ensuring our public health agencies are aligned with his vision. I'll take your questions now.

Q: Karoline, thank you. On the CDC, the Department of Health and Human Services announced yesterday that Director Susan Monarez is no longer in charge. Her lawyers are saying she hasn't been properly fired and that only the president can remove her. Can you clarify what's happening here?

MS. LEAVITT: Look, what I will say about this individual is that her lawyers’ statement made it abundantly clear themselves that she was not aligned with the president’s mission to make America healthy again. The secretary asked her to resign, she said she would, and then she said she wouldn’t, so the president fired her, which he has every right to do. It was President Trump who was overwhelmingly re-elected on November 5. This woman has never received a vote in her life, and the president has the authority to fire those who are not aligned with his mission.

Q: But she was confirmed by the Senate just last month, in July. If she wasn't aligned, why nominate her in the first place? And what specifically did she do wrong?

MS. LEAVITT: The president and Secretary Kennedy are committed to restoring trust and transparency and credibility to the CDC by ensuring their leadership and their decisions are more public-facing, more accountable, strengthening our public health system, and restoring it to its core mission of protecting Americans from communicable diseases, and investing in innovation to prevent, detect, and respond to future threats. Director Monarez's refusal to execute directives that align with that mission—such as those on vaccine policy and restructuring—made it clear she couldn't fulfill the role. A new replacement will be announced by either the president or the secretary very soon. Secretary Kennedy has full confidence in his team at the CDC who will continue to be vigilant in protecting Americans against infectious diseases at home and abroad.

Q: There have been reports of clashes between Monarez and Secretary Kennedy over vaccine policies, including his push to investigate debunked links between vaccines and autism. Her lawyers say she refused to "rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives." Is that accurate?

MS. LEAVITT: I won't get into the specifics of internal discussions, but the administration is focused on evidence-based policies that prioritize American health. We've seen misinformation spread under previous leadership, and this is about correcting course. 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. Just do your job—that's what the president wants to see.

Q: Several other top CDC officials resigned yesterday, including Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, who used the term "pregnant people" in his resignation letter and added his pronouns. Is the administration reviewing others for alignment?

MS. LEAVITT: Not to my knowledge. I understand there were a few other individuals who resigned after the firing of Ms. Monarez. One of those individuals wrote in his departure statement that he identifies pregnant women as pregnant people, so that’s not someone we want in this administration anyway. We're moving forward with leaders who share our commitment to clear, science-driven public health without unnecessary complications.

Q: With the interim director now being HHS Deputy Secretary Jim O'Neill, how does this affect ongoing work at the CDC, especially with public trust already low post-COVID?

MS. LEAVITT: The transition is seamless. Deputy Secretary O'Neill is highly qualified and will ensure continuity. The president’s agenda is to rebuild the CDC as a beacon of health protection, not politics. We've already seen positive steps, like revoking the emergency use authorization for COVID vaccines in youth since the pandemic is over—but to be clear, that doesn't affect availability for those who want them. We believe in individual choice, a promise the president and secretary have delivered on.

Q: One more on this: Monarez's team says they haven't heard directly from the president, and they're considering legal action. Any response?

MS. LEAVITT: The decision has been made, and it's final. We expect all public officials to respect the chain of command and the will of the American people. If others want to challenge that, they can, but this administration won't hesitate to act in the interest of making America healthy again.

MS. LEAVITT: Thank you, everyone. We'll have more updates soon.

---

This excerpt captures the core of Leavitt's remarks on the topic during the August 28, 2025, briefing. The firing stemmed from reported disagreements between Monarez and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over vaccine-related policies and agency restructuring, leading to her dismissal despite her recent Senate confirmation. Multiple sources confirm Leavitt's defense of the action as presidential authority to ensure alignment with Trump's "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) initiative. For the complete briefing transcript, refer to the official White House archives or C-SPAN coverage.