CDC director axed by Trump administration refuses to step down

Government scientists Susan Monarez, for a long time, have been refusing to step down as Director of Disease Control and Prevention Center (CDC) after the Department of HRS (HHS), he announced that he was removed from the role after less than a month of administering the oath.

Attorney Mark Zad and Abbe Lowell said that they were representing Monarez and claimed that they have neither resigned nor fired so far. “

The lawyers issued a statement on social media, claiming that HHS and Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Junior is making public health weapons for political gains and millions of American life is risking.

The statement said, “When CDC director Susan Monarez refused rubber-stamp unscientific, careless instructions and fire dedicated health experts, he chose to protect the public to serve a political agenda,” the statement said. “For him, he has been targeted. Dr. Monarez has neither resigned nor notified from the White House that he has been fired, and dedicated to science as a person of integrity, she will not resign.”

About 600 CDC workers were abolished after clarifying the part of the Trump Administrator Reorganization Plan

Washington Post Told that the sources within the CDC, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that HHS leaders, including Kennedy, demanded to get Monarez to cancel the approval for some Kovid -19 vaccines. When Monarez did not do immediately, it was told by the administration officials that he would have to resign or be fired.

Sources also claimed that it tried to include Sen Bill Cassidi, R-La, chairman of the Senate’s top health committee. The move allegedly angered Kennedy.

Upon arrival for the comment, a spokesman for HHS directed Fox News Digital for the reaction of the shared agency on its official X account.

“Susan Monarez is no longer director of the Disease Control and Prevention Center,” said HHS. “We thank him for his dedicated service to American people. Secretary Kennedy has full faith in his team in CDC, which will be cautious to protect Americans from infectious diseases at home and abroad.”

The White House confirmed Fox News Digital that Monarez was being removed.

White House spokesperson Kush Desai said in a statement, “As his lawyer’s statement explains with abundance, Susan Monarez has not aligned the President’s agenda again with the agenda to re -healthy.” “Since Susan Monarez refused to resign despite informing the HHS leadership of his intentions to do so, the White House has abolished Monarez from his position with CDC.”

Monarez was withdrawn by the Trump administration to lead the CDC from his early nominated, Dave Weldon in March, as he could not get enough support in the Senate. Shortly after Weldon left the post, Monarez was formally nominated as permanent director of CDC and finally confirmed in the last week of July.

During the confirmation of Monarez, he expressed support for vaccines and told MPs that “he had not seen a reason between vaccines and autism.”

The medical group goes against CDC, recommends covid shots for young children

Before the confirmation of the Senate of Monerez, CDC directors usually did not require Senate approval, but it turned to 2022 when the Congress passed a law, which makes it necessary. The first Senate-Combed CDC director in the history of the Monarez Agency was.

Monarez was also the first CDC director without medical degree in more than seven decades. However, he is a Ph.D. In microbiology and immunology.

After doing his doctoral, Monarez entered the federal government, where he found himself in the role of the Science and Technology Policy, National Security Council, Homeland Security Department and Advanced Research Project for Health for Health (ARPA-H). His biography on the CDC website states that “he worked on leading efforts to” enhance the country’s biomedical innovation capabilities, which includes competing antimicrobial resistance, expanding the use of wear items to promote the patient’s health, ensuring personal health data secrecy and improving the preparation of epidemic. “

Hours after the news that Monarez would no longer be the head of CDC, sources confirmed Fox News Digital that at least three other top CDC officials tendered their resignations, including CDC’s National Center for Vaccination and respiratory diseases, Demetre Daslis; Director of National Centers for Emerging and Zunotic infectious Disease, Dr. Daniel Journigan; And CDC Chief Medical Officer, Debra Humi.

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Dasaklis posted her long resignation letter on X, citing various reasons for her departure, which included the “The views” of Secretary Kennedy and his employees.

Daskalis said that he cannot continue working in a administration that considers CDC as a tool “to install policies” as a tool that does not reflect “scientific reality. “He especially cited recent changes that Kennedy’s HHS has brought the vaccine for children and adults, arguing that” threatening.[s] Life of youngest Americans and pregnant people. ,

The former director of the CDC also cited the efforts of the administration to erase the transgender population, prevent important domestic and international HIV programming and end major research.

Fox News’ David Levacotust contributed to this report.