White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced Thursday that President Trump supports Health and Human Services Director RFK Jr.’s decision to dismiss the head of the U.S. health agency responsible for preventing disease outbreaks.
This endorsement followed a day of turmoil at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where Director Susan Monarez, a Trump appointee and veteran government scientist, was dismissed alongside other officials. Monarez, whose appointment as the CDC’s new head was confirmed by the Senate in July, asserts via her lawyers that her termination resulted from a dispute over the scientific validity of directives issued by Kennedy. Her removal was unexpectedly announced late Wednesday on the Health and Human Services’ X social media account.
In a statement, Monarez’s attorneys, Mark Zaid and Abbe Lowell, claimed she was targeted for refusing to “rubberstamp unscientific, reckless directives and fire dedicated health experts.” They further contended that her dismissal indicates a broader attempt to weaken scientific institutions within the nation for political motives. “It is about the systematic dismantling of public health institutions, the silencing of experts, and the dangerous politicization of science,” their statement read.
Leavitt informed reporters that President Trump terminated Monarez after she declined Kennedy’s request for her resignation. Leavitt stated, “Her lawyers’ statement made it abundantly clear themselves that she was not aligned with the President’s vision to make America healthy again.” She added, “The President has the authority to fire those who are not aligned with his mission.”
CDC’s chief medical officer, Deb Houry, along with other senior CDC officials, also resigned on Wednesday. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders characterized Monarez’s firing as a “dangerous” decision, advocating for an investigation into her dismissal and pressing Senator Bill Cassidy, the lead Republican on the Senate’s health committee, to convene a hearing regarding her exit.
Leaders at the C.D.C. have increasingly found themselves at odds with Kennedy regarding his health policy vision, particularly concerning vaccines. A crucial CDC panel responsible for vaccine recommendations is scheduled to convene in mid-September and may vote on criteria for vaccines to protect against COVID-19, Hepatitis B, MMRV, and RSV, according to a preliminary agenda. On Thursday, Cassidy urgently called for the postponement of the vaccine panel’s next meeting, citing “serious allegations” about the scientific process being followed leading up to it. Cassidy stated, “These decisions directly impact children’s health and the meeting should not occur until significant oversight has been conducted.”
Leavitt conveyed that Trump and Kennedy “are committed to restoring trust and credibility to the CDC by ensuring their leadership and decisions are more public-facing, more accountable, protecting our public health systems, and returning the agency to its core mission of shielding Americans from communicable diseases, investing in innovation, and preventing and responding to future threats.”
During his first term, Trump himself regularly pushed to accelerate the production of COVID-19 vaccines during the pandemic via the Operation Warp Speed program. Yet, he has thus far endorsed Kennedy’s efforts to scale back federal vaccine guidelines and question established scientific consensus concerning the benefits of vaccines, not only for COVID-19, but also for polio, measles, and other diseases.
Kennedy Jr. voiced concerns Thursday about potential additional disruptions at the CDC, informing Fox News that the agency is “in trouble and we need to fix it.” He added that some individuals at the CDC “should not be working there any more.”
Kennedy became critical of Monarez less than a month after she officially assumed her role. At Monarez’s swearing-in ceremony on July 31, Kennedy had commended her “unimpeachable scientific credentials” and expressed “full confidence in her ability to restore the CDC’s role as the most trusted authority in public health.” His trust in her and her scientific expertise, however, lasted less than a month.