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The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Susan Monarez, was recently forced out of her role, weeks after her Senate confirmation. It’s the latest in a series of tumultuous changes at the agency.

The news of her ouster was first reported by The Washington Post, which spoke with several officials within the Trump administration. When Ars Technica reached out to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), they were directed to an X post. The statement from the agency read:

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.”

There was no mention in the statement as to why she was removed. The Washington Post reported that the U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is a known anti-vaccine advocate, had been pressuring Monarez to reverse her COVID-19 vaccine approvals. When Monarez refused, without first going through the CDC’s vaccine advisory committees, Kennedy reportedly asked her to resign, for “allowing politics to cloud her judgment and not supporting President Trump.”

She instead reached out to Senator Bill Cassidy (R-La. ), who was instrumental in Kennedy’s own Senate confirmation earlier this year, after Kennedy gave him certain assurances. Cassidy, however, called Kennedy out on his treatment of Monarez, which led to a tense exchange between the two. Later, officials told Monarez that she either needed to resign or be fired.

Monarez has not given up her position, and it has also been reported that she has not yet received any formal notice of her firing from the White House. “Her ouster came after she refused to rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives and fire dedicated health experts,” a statement from lawyers Mark Zaid and Abbe Lowell said in a post on social media. “She chose protecting the public over serving a political agenda.” Zaid further confirmed to Ars Technica that, as of 8:15 p.m. ET on August 27, Monarez had not received official word from the White House.

Trouble for CDC at the Highest Levels

Monarez was originally confirmed at the end of July in a 51–47 vote, on strict party lines. She is the first CDC director to ever need Senate confirmation after a law was passed in 2022 that made it so. Kennedy had administered her own oath, congratulating her on her “unimpeachable scientific credentials” and her ability to help “restore trust in the CDC.”

Monarez is a veteran public health official with extensive experience. She has a PhD in microbiology and immunology. Before her CDC role, Monarez was the deputy director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) in the Biden administration. She had also previously served in the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), Department of Homeland Security, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and on the National Security Council. She had also briefly led the CDC as its acting director earlier this year, before Kennedy nominated her for the permanent position.

Her résumé had been lauded by public health experts. Jennifer Nuzzo of Brown University tweeted that Monarez was a “loyal, hardworking civil servant who leads with evidence and pragmatism.” Georges Benjamin of the American Public Health Association called her a “strong researcher, a capable manager, a good team player.”

But now, Monarez was forced to resign under pressure from Kennedy and other officials, according to reports. The CDC has been losing hundreds of employees via layoffs and buyouts. Additionally, programs across the agency have been cut or restricted. Kennedy himself has spewed anti-vaccine rhetoric, at one point calling COVID-19 vaccines “the deadliest vaccine ever made,” and in one radio interview, said that the CDC is “a cesspool of corruption.”

On August 8, a gunman who was radicalized by vaccine misinformation opened fire on the CDC campus. More than 500 shots were fired, and around 200 hit the six different buildings of the CDC headquarters. One local police officer died, and people hiding inside were terrified. The gunman’s messages found on his devices placed blame for his health issues on vaccines and stated that he had come to the CDC with the intent to kill people who worked there.