Just weeks after being confirmed by the Senate, Susan Monarez has been ousted from the now thoroughly battered public health agency.
The news was first reported by The Washington Post, which cited multiple officials within the Trump administration. After Ars Technica contacted the Department of Health and Human Services for confirmation of the ouster, HHS responded with a link to a post on the department's X account. The post states:
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.
The department did not address the circumstances surrounding Monarez's ouster. But The Washington Post reported this evening that US Health Secretary and fervent anti-vaccine advocate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had pressed Monarez on her willingness to rescind approvals for COVID-19 vaccines for days. Monarez reportedly met with Kennedy and other officials Monday and declined to agree to changes without consulting vaccine advisors. Kennedy then urged her to resign for "not supporting President Trump’s agenda."
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Source: Ars Technica
