The Trump administration is currently experiencing an unprecedented level of bipartisan pushback following the dismissal of the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This decision has sparked considerable turmoil within the United States' leading infectious disease agency, culminating in a significant protest where dozens of CDC staff members walked out of their Atlanta headquarters in support of the ousted director on Thursday.
According to the White House, Susan Monarez, who was confirmed as the CDC director merely a month ago, was terminated due to her perceived misalignment with the president’s agenda. However, Monarez has adamantly refused to resign. Her legal team argues that, as a Senate-confirmed appointee, only Donald Trump himself possesses the authority to remove her from office.
Reports indicate that Monarez was dismissed by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the US health secretary, because she declined to remove agency officials and commit to limiting access to proven vaccines. Kennedy, known for founding an anti-vaccine group, has a history of disseminating misinformation about immunizations. Recently, he implemented new restrictions on access to Covid vaccines, which has raised alarms among public health advocates.
This controversial stance, coupled with concerns about impending budget cuts and political interference within the CDC, has led to the resignation of four senior leaders at the agency. The extraordinary upheaval at the CDC has drawn bipartisan concern from members of Congress, marking a rare moment of dissent from typically loyal Republican lawmakers.
Republican Senator Susan Collins from Maine expressed her deep concern about Monarez's removal, emphasizing that she had only been in her position for three weeks and found no justification for her termination. Meanwhile, Bill Cassidy, another Republican senator and chair of the Senate Health Committee, suggested postponing an upcoming meeting of the Department of Health and Human Services committee responsible for advising on vaccine use. Cassidy stated that any recommendations made at this meeting should be viewed as illegitimate due to the serious allegations surrounding the CDC's current leadership crisis.
Independent Senator Bernie Sanders also weighed in, asserting that individuals across the political spectrum should be alarmed by attempts to restrict access to vaccines, which he described as “one of the greatest public health achievements of the 20th century.” Sanders warned, “We are witnessing a full-blown war on science, on public health, and on truth itself,” and criticized Secretary Kennedy for dismantling the vaccine review process and narrowing access to vital Covid vaccines.
Despite the growing criticism, the Trump administration shows no signs of reversing its decision. In a press briefing on Thursday, Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, took a jab at one of the departing CDC officials for using the term “pregnant people” in his resignation letter. Leavitt remarked, “One of those individuals wrote in his departure statement that he identifies pregnant women as pregnant people, so that’s not someone we want in this administration anyway.”
Demetre Daskalakis, who resigned from his position as the director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the CDC, criticized the administration's strategy, claiming it aimed to create policies that did not reflect scientific reality and were detrimental to public health. In response to Leavitt’s remarks, Daskalakis stated, “I find it outrageous that this administration is trying to erase transgender people,” emphasizing his commitment to inclusivity and identity.
As the situation unfolds, the implications of these events for public health policy and the future of the CDC remain uncertain, but the bipartisan backlash indicates a growing concern about the administration's approach to public health and scientific integrity.
