CDC Director Susan Monarez Fired Just Weeks Into Job: Report
August 27, 2025
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Sonam Sheth is an Evening Politics Editor at Newsweek who is based in New York. She joined Newsweek in 2024 and previously worked at Business Insider and CNBC. Sonam has extensive experience covering national security, foreign policy, elections, and stories at the intersection of law and politics. Her work has been cited in The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Vanity Fair, and others. She has also frequently appeared on national television and radio, including MSNBC, NBC News, BBC World News, BBC News radio, and more. You can get in touch with Sonam at s.sheth@newsweek.com. Languages: English, Hindi, and French.
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Susan Monarez, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is being fired just weeks after she was confirmed to spearhead the nation’s primary public health agency, The Washington Post reported, citing multiple administration officials familiar with the matter.
Monarez was confirmed by the Senate last month and President Donald Trump nominated her after pulling his first nominee for CDC director, former Republican Representative Dave Weldon, after he drew scrutiny over his views on vaccines and autism.
Monarez previously held several prominent positions within the U.S. government. She served as deputy director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), where she led initiatives in artificial intelligence and health technology. She also held roles at the Department of Homeland Security and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
At her Senate confirmation hearing, Monarez told lawmakers she did not see a “causal link between vaccines and autism.”
The Post reported that Monarez had scheduled an agency-wide call on Monday but that it was canceled last Friday. Her reported ouster comes weeks after a gunman attacked the CDC’s headquarters in Atlanta, leaving one police officer dead.
Monarez said in a statement after the shooting that CDC leadership was “heartbroken” by the attack.
This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.
Dr. Susan Monarez testifies during a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing on her nomination to be Director of the CDC, at the U.S. Capitol, in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, June 25, 2025…. Dr. Susan Monarez testifies during a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing on her nomination to be Director of the CDC, at the U.S. Capitol, in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, June 25, 2025.
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