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By Jenna Sundel and Gabe Whisnant
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was thrown into chaos Thursday after the abrupt firing of Director Susan Monarez and the escorted departure of three senior leaders from its Atlanta headquarters.
Why It Matters
Monarez's ouster, followed by the resignations of Dr. Debra Houry, Dr. Demetre Daskalakis and Dr. Daniel Jernigan, deepens a leadership vacuum at the $9.2 billion agency as lawmakers demand oversight and warn that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s reshaped vaccine panel lacks credibility ahead of its September meeting.
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What To Know
Jernigan led the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Daskalakis was head of the National Center for Immunization, and Houry was the CDC's chief medical officer.
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The turmoil erupted Wednesday night when the Trump administration announced that Monarez would no longer lead the CDC, prompting Houry, Daskalakis and Jernigan to resign in protest. The three returned to headquarters Thursday to collect their belongings, where colleagues had planned to give them a public show of support. Those plans were cut short when security escorted the officials from the Atlanta campus earlier in the day, according to current and former employees.
Kennedy has not explained the decision to oust Monarez as CDC director less than a month after she was sworn in.
"There's a lot of trouble at the CDC and it's going to require getting rid of some people over the long term, in order for us to change the institutional culture," Kennedy said at a news conference in Texas on Thursday.
Monarez's lawyers said that she refused "to rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives and fire dedicated health experts."
What People Are Saying
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., at a news conference: "I will confirm that we let go Susan Monarez yesterday. I'm not going to talk about personnel issues but, you know, the CDC is an agency that is very troubled for a very long time."
Dr. Debra Houry, referring to Susan Monarez in comments to the Associated Press: "We were going to see if she was able to weather the storm. And when she was not, we were done."
Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, in comments to the Associated Press: "I came to the point personally where I think our science will be compromised, and that's my line in the sand."
What Happens Next
The White House has named Jim O'Neill, the current deputy secretary of Health and Human Services, to serve as acting director of the CDC, two people familiar with the decision told The Washington Post.
This article includes reporting by the Associated Press.
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Update 8/28/25, 5:40 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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