Democratic Senator Patty Murray of Washington says the Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. should be fired after the department he heads announced the firing of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Director Susan Monarez on Wednesday.
Newsweek reached out to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) via online form and the White House via email on Wednesday night for comment.
Why It Matters
Monarez’s exit signals an extraordinary rupture between scientific leadership at the CDC and political leadership at HHS during a period of major policy change to vaccine advisory structures and funding.
President Donald Trump nominated RFK Jr. to head the department, which he has since pushed forward under the campaign of Making America Healthy Again.
What To Know
The dispute over Monarez’s employment status unfolded on Wednesday evening after HHS posted on social media that Monarez was “no longer director,” while her lawyers stated that she had not resigned and had not received notice of termination.
The White House then announced late Wednesday that it had fired Monarez as the head of the CDC, saying, “As her attorney’s statement makes abundantly clear, Susan Monarez is not aligned with the President’s agenda of Making America Healthy Again,” White House spokesperson Kush Desai told Politico. “Since Susan Monarez refused to resign despite informing HHS leadership of her intent to do so, the White House has terminated Monarez from her position with the CDC.”
The confrontation coincided with the resignations of multiple senior CDC officials.
Senator Murray, reacting to Monarez’s lawyers’ statements saying she is not resigning, said on X, “I had serious doubts about CDC Director Monarez’s willingness to stand up against RFK Jr.’s personal mission to destroy public health in America—I’m glad that I was wrong. If there are any adults left in the White House: we cannot let RFK Jr. burn what’s left of CDC. FIRE HIM.”
“RKF Jr. is a dangerous man who is determined to abuse his authority to act on truly terrifying conspiracy theories and disinformation—leaving us unprepared for the next deadly pandemic and snuffing out potential cures while he’s at it. My full statement,” Murray said in a follow-up post on X.
The three other senior CDC officials who resigned around the same time—Dr. Debra Houry, Dr. Daniel Jernigan and Dr. Demetre Daskalakis—cited concerns about the politicization of science and changes in agency direction.
Daskalakis wrote on X, in part: “I am unable to serve in an environment that treats CDC as a tool to generate policies and materials that do not reflect scientific reality and are designed to hurt rather than to improve the public’s health.”
What People Are Saying
Murray, in a longer statement on Wednesday, said in part: “Further, we should all be deeply disturbed by the resignation of highly qualified CDC officials whose work quite literally saves lives. It will be an extremely frightening world if the CDC is hollowed out and its ranks filled only by conspiracy theorists that RFK Jr. agrees with. RFK Jr. comes into conflict with every credible researcher, scientist, or doctor because he lives in his own unhinged world of anti-vaccine disinformation—our current trajectory is not tenable. We need serious people working at CDC and across HHS.”
Former Republican lawmaker Barbara Comstock of Virginia on X on Wednesday: “How about we just make @RFKJr_Official the personal health adviser for Trump and @JDVance- they can do raw milk shots and push ups together, take ivermectin, and hit tanning beds together – and then get serious people/health officials for HHS, CDC, NIH, etc. for the rest of us.”
Independent Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont on X on Wednesday: “It’s outrageous that Sec. Kennedy is trying to fire the CDC Director — after only a few weeks on the job — for her commitment to public health & vaccines. The Sen. HELP Committee must hold a hearing with Kennedy & the CDC Director as soon as possible. Vaccines save lives. Period.”
Trump on Truth Social in November 2024: “I am thrilled to announce Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as The United States Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). For too long, Americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and drug companies who have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation when it comes to Public Health.
“The Safety and Health of all Americans is the most important role of any Administration, and HHS will play a big role in helping ensure that everybody will be protected from harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, and food additives that have contributed to the overwhelming Health Crisis in this Country. Mr. Kennedy will restore these Agencies to the traditions of Gold Standard Scientific Research, and beacons of Transparency, to end the Chronic Disease epidemic, and to Make America Great and Healthy Again!”
What Happens Next
As of 10:15 p.m. ET on Wednesday, it remains unclear whether Monarez would pursue legal remedies to her ouster or would step down.
Read the full article here
