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Susan Monarez, who was just confirmed by the Senate as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) two weeks ago, was pushed out of her job on August 27. The development comes as another in a string of serious shake-ups at the scandal-plagued public health agency.

The first reports of Monarez’s ouster appeared in The Washington Post, which spoke to several officials within the Trump administration. After Ars Technica requested comment from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the agency instead sent a link to its post on its official X account. The department said in a statement:

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 post did not explain why Monarez was removed from her post. According to The Washington Post, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—a high-profile opponent of vaccines—had recently repeatedly harangued her over her handling of COVID-19 vaccines. He asked her to rescind the approval of the vaccines, but she refused to do so without a sign-off from the CDC’s vaccine advisory committees. Kennedy then asked her to resign, claiming that she had not done enough to support President Trump’s policies.

Monarez rejected his demand and instead reached out to Senator Bill Cassidy (R-La. ), who had helped push Kennedy’s own Senate confirmation earlier this year in exchange for certain assurances. After Cassidy contested Kennedy’s request, he had a profanity-laced shouting match with Monarez. Administration officials then told her that she had to resign or be fired.

Her lawyers, Mark Zaid and Abbe Lowell, subsequently released a statement on social media that said Monarez had not resigned, nor had she received any official termination notice from the White House. “Her ouster came after she refused to rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives and fire dedicated health experts,” the statement read. “She chose protecting the public over serving a political agenda.” Zaid also confirmed to Ars Technica that as of 8:15 p.m. ET on August 27, she had still not received an official termination notice.

A Public Health Agency at a Breaking Point

Monarez’s Senate confirmation last month was seen as a breakthrough of sorts. She won approval on a 51–47 vote along party lines and became the first CDC director in history to be subject to Senate confirmation following a law passed last year in 2022. Kennedy himself administered the oath of office to her on July 31, and he noted her “unimpeachable scientific credentials” and “collaborative, bridge-building style” and expressed optimism she would help restore the CDC’s reputation.

Her résumé spoke for itself. Monarez has a PhD in microbiology and immunology. She was the deputy director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) under the Biden administration. Before that, she was with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), the Department of Homeland Security, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and the National Security Council. She even served briefly as the acting director of the CDC itself this year before resigning to allow Trump to nominate her formally.

Public health experts had praised her. Jennifer Nuzzo of Brown University called her a “loyal, hardworking civil servant who leads with evidence and pragmatism.” Georges Benjamin, the American Public Health Association’s head, said she was a “competent manager” and “outstanding researcher.”

But her tenure at the agency was short-lived, as the CDC has been in the throes of a major upheaval. Hundreds of CDC employees have left the agency, either through layoffs or buyouts, while several other programs have been reduced or effectively dismantled. Kennedy himself has ruffled feathers by making comments such as “I believe the COVID-19 vaccines are the deadliest vaccine ever made” and describing the CDC as “a cesspool of corruption.”

On August 8, tragedy had also struck at the agency. A gunman who was radicalized by vaccine misinformation had opened fire at the CDC’s campus. The attacker fired nearly 500 rounds, and about 200 hit six different CDC buildings. One local police officer was killed. CDC staff who were in those buildings at the time had scrambled to take cover. The shooter had blamed vaccines for his own medical conditions, nd had deliberately targeted the CDC.

The developments surrounding Monarez’s reported firing have now exacerbated the agency’s crisis. Stat News later confirmed that three high-ranking CDC officials—Daniel Jernigan, the director of the National Center for Emerging Zoonotic Infectious Diseases; Deb Houry, the CDC’s Chief Medical Officer; and Demetre Daskalakis, who led the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases—had also submitted their resignations.

In his departing note, Daskalakis wrote, “I am not able to serve in this role any longer because of the ongoing weaponization of public health.” Houry’s parting words emphasized that scientific evidence should “never be censored or subject to political interpretations.”

Earlier the same day, Politico had reported that Jennifer Layden, who was the head of the Office of Public Health Data, Surveillance, and Technology, had also resigned.

For many observers and CDC employees, the agency is in a state of crisis not seen for decades. A respected, evidence-based public health institution has now been plagued by mounting resignations and dismissals, as well as rampant political interference and a deep loss of trust in a time when public health challenges are growing ever more acute.