Following the White House’s announcement that she had been sacked, the director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is still embroiled in a contentious dispute with the Trump administration. According to her attorneys, Susan Monarez, who has only been on the job for a month, accused Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of “weaponizing public health” by refusing “to rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives.”
Her attorney maintained that Dr. Monarez’s termination was unlawful and that only President Donald Trump, not White House representatives, had the authority to fire her. According to a statement from the White House, she was dismissed because she was “not aligned with the president’s agenda.
Jim O’Neill, the BBC’s US partner CBS reported, will take Dr. Monarez’s place as acting director of the health agency. Former IT investor Mr. O’Neill is currently Kennedy’s deputy secretary of health and human services.
At least three high-ranking CDC officials left the organization, with several expressing dissatisfaction with vaccine regulations and Kennedy’s (commonly known as RFK Jr.) leadership.
Chief Medical Officer Debra Houry was one of them; in a letter obtained by CBS News, the BBC’s US partner, she cautioned about the “rise of misinformation” around vaccines. She also opposed the agency’s budget cuts that were proposed.
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