August 28, 2025 – Washington, D.C.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is facing its most significant internal upheaval in decades following the abrupt firing of its director, Dr. Susan Monarez, and the resignation of top medical officers. U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. defended the shake-up in a Fox News appearance, accusing the agency of being a “vector of misinformation” and signaling a sweeping shift in federal vaccine policy.
CDC Leadership Purge
Dr. Monarez, a longtime federal scientist confirmed just weeks earlier under President Trump’s second term, was dismissed Wednesday evening by the White House. Her attorneys immediately challenged the legality of the firing, citing her refusal to comply with what they described as “unscientific, reckless directives.” Sources say Kennedy had pressured Monarez to change vaccine guidance and remove long-serving staff.
Soon after her dismissal, Deb Houry, the CDC’s Chief Medical Officer, also resigned, citing concerns about a breakdown in scientific leadership. According to Houry, Monarez’s removal clears the way for Kennedy appointees to reshape key vaccine recommendations without interference from CDC scientists.
Vaccine Policy in the Crosshairs
Kennedy’s controversial move includes a purge and replacement of members on the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). The newly seated panel—several with public records of opposing established vaccine science—is expected to vote in mid-September on new guidance for COVID-19, hepatitis B, RSV, and MMRV (measles, mumps, rubella, varicella) vaccines.
Kennedy, a long-time critic of federal vaccine programs and founder of an anti-vaccine organization, told Fox News that some CDC staff “should not be working there anymore” and criticized the agency’s inclusion of vaccines among the top ten achievements of modern medicine.
He has previously made incendiary remarks, including claiming the hepatitis B vaccine was created for “prostitutes” and “promiscuous gay men,” a comment denounced by public health experts who stress that the vaccine is most effective when administered at birth.
Growing Employee Tensions
The changes come on the heels of a violent attack earlier this summer, when a gunman opposed to COVID-19 vaccines opened fire on the CDC’s Atlanta headquarters. CDC staff accused Kennedy of fueling anti-public health sentiment. Dr. Monarez reportedly attempted to publish an op-ed addressing the dangers of vaccine misinformation but withdrew it after Health and Human Services returned a version with what she considered to be politically motivated revisions.
An HHS spokesperson has not responded to requests for comment on these claims.
Uncertain Future for Public Health Guidance
As Kennedy consolidates power within federal health agencies, critics warn the scientific integrity of the CDC may be compromised. With key leadership removed and advisory panels restructured, the CDC’s future role in shaping national vaccine recommendations remains in question.
This marks a sharp pivot from decades of precedent in which vaccine policy was shaped by long-term peer-reviewed research, rather than political directives from the executive branch.
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