• Posted August 28, 2025

CDC Director Susan Monarez Fired Less Than a Month Into Role

Susan Monarez is out as director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — less than one month after taking the role.

The White House fired her after she refused to quit amid pressure to change vaccine policy, according to The Washington Post.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) confirmed her firing in a post on the agency's official X account. She wa sworn into the post July 31.

"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," the post said.

Monarez’s departure dovetails with a period of turmoil for the agency. On Aug. 8, a gunman opened fire at the CDC’s Atlanta campus, shattering windows in six buildings. A police officer was killed.

Following the shooting, Monarez addressed staff in a virtual meeting.

“We know that misinformation can be dangerous,” she said during the meeting, according to a transcript obtained by NBC News. “Not only to health, but to those that trust us and those we want to trust. We need to rebuild the trust together.”

Last week, Monarez canceled a scheduled staff meeting that was intended to focus on workplace safety and new security measures in the wake of the attack. 

In an email obtained by NBC News, she explained that the meeting was postponed due to an “HHS meeting that I have been asked to attend in person in DC.”

With her removal, the agency again finds itself without a permanent leader once again. The CDC is the nation’s leading public health organization.

President Donald Trump’s first nominee for CDC director, former Florida congressman Dr. David Weldon, was pulled from consideration just hours before his confirmation hearing in March due to concerns about his past statements questioning vaccine safety. 

Monarez, who briefly served as acting director, was then nominated to replace him.

More information 

Public health policy aims are spelled out at the American Public Health Association.

SOURCES: NBC News, Aug. 27, 2025; The Washington Post, Aug. 28, 2025