The White Home mentioned Wednesday that Susan Monarez has been fired from her submit as director of the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC) after she refused to step down from the place.
“As her attorney’s statement makes abundantly clear, Susan Monarez is not aligned with the President’s agenda of Making America Healthy Again,” White Home spokesperson Kush Desai mentioned in a press release.
“Since Susan Monarez refused to resign despite informing [Department of Health and Human Services] leadership of her intent to do so, the White House has terminated Monarez from her position with the CDC,” Desai added.
HHS posted a press release on social platform X Wednesday night saying, “Susan Monarez is no longer director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”
Distinguished Washington, D.C. attorneys Abbe Lowell and Mark Zaid launched a defiant assertion on her behalf shortly thereafter.
“When CDC Director Susan Monarez refused to rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives and fire dedicated health experts she chose protecting the public over serving a political agenda. For that, she has been targeted,” the assertion mentioned.
“Dr. Monarez has neither resigned nor acquired notification from the White Home that she has been fired, and as an individual of integrity and dedicated to science, she won’t resign,” it added.
The New York Occasions reported Wednesday that HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. informed Monarez to resign or be fired on Monday over tensions round vaccine coverage. The CDC director is appointed, confirmed by the Senate after which can solely be eliminated by the White Home.
Monarez, throughout her affirmation listening to, informed Democrats that “vaccines save lives” and mentioned there was no proof vaccines trigger autism — however treaded a positive line after the earlier nominee did not garner sufficient assist.
4 prime CDC officers introduced their resignations Wednesday night shortly after Monarez was fired, together with Deb Houry, the chief medical officer and the company’s deputy director for program and science.
Not less than three others additionally submitted a resignation letter: Demetre Daskalakis, head of the company’s Nationwide Heart for Immunization and Respiratory Illnesses; Dan Jernigan, head of the CDC’s Nationwide Heart for Rising and Zoonotic Infectious Illnesses; and Jennifer Layden, head of the Workplace of Public Well being Knowledge, Surveillance, and Expertise.
The Meals and Drug Administration (FDA) earlier Wednesday accredited up to date COVID-19 pictures for these at a “high risk” for extreme an infection. The company additionally rescinded emergency use authorizations for the vaccine, with Kennedy saying the transfer was made to finish mandates.
