When Science Gets Sidelined at the CDC
Another Day, Another Agency Forever Changed
On August 27, 2025, Dr. Susan Monarez—a microbiologist confirmed as CDC Director less than a month earlier—was abruptly dismissed. A White House spokesperson stated she “was not aligned with the president’s mission to Make America Healthy Again, and the secretary asked her to resign. She said she would, and then she said she wouldn’t, so the president fired her.” (Reuters)
Her firing triggered internal upheaval. Four senior officials—including Chief Medical Officer Dr. Debra Houry and division leaders Demetre Daskalakis, Daniel Jernigan, and Jennifer Layden—resigned, citing mounting “misinformation,” attacks on science, and the “weaponizing of public health.” In Houry’s resignation, she decried an environment where “the ongoing changes prevent me from continuing in my job as a leader of the agency,” warning, “For the good of the nation and the world, the science at CDC should never be censored or subject to political pauses or interpretations.” (AP News)
Monarez’s attorneys, Mark S. Zaid and Abbe David Lowell, pushed back at the dismissal, stating that “as a person of integrity and devoted to science, she will not resign,” and that, as a Senate-confirmed appointee, only the President can remove her—a point raising legal questions about how her termination was executed. (Reuters)
The next day, Jim O’Neill, Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services and long-time ally of Health Secretary RFK Jr., was named Acting CDC Director. A former biotech investor and policy aide with no medical or scientific background, O’Neill’s appointment drew immediate concern. Reporters noted that he “lacks any medical or scientific credentials,” raising alarms about the agency’s future direction. (AP News)
This leadership shake-up spurred significant unrest within the agency. Dozens of CDC staff staged walkouts from the Atlanta campus in protest, signaling a broader institutional crisis. (Reuters)
The political community also responded forcefully. Senator Bill Cassidy called for review by the Senate HELP Committee, while public health experts warned that replacing a scientifically trained leader with a political appointee could undermine disease response and erode trust in CDC guidance.
Dr. Monarez had spoken candidly prior to her firing about the changes she opposed. Former acting CDC head Dr. Richard Besser shared that she “refused orders to fire her management team” and did not automatically endorse recommendations from Kennedy’s handpicked vaccine advisers. (AP)
Why This Matters
This moment is about far more than a change at the top—it’s a crossroads in how public health leadership is defined and should operate. Dr. Monarez brought scientific credibility to the role, grounded in research and public health leadership. In contrast, O’Neill’s credentials reflect political alignment—not medical expertise.
In an era of resurgent measles outbreaks, novel COVID-19 variants, and rising vaccine skepticism, the CDC’s ability to issue evidence-based, trusted guidance is paramount. Scientists and the public alike must now ask: Will science continue to lead at our premier public health agency—or will partisanship take the reins?