Report: CDC director being ousted just weeks after Senate confirmation

Just weeks after being confirmed by the Senate, Susan Monarez is being ousted from the now thoroughly battered public health agency, according to a report from The Washington Post citing multiple officials within the Trump administration.

Ars Technica has contacted the Department of Health and Human Services for confirmation of the ouster and the circumstances surrounding it but did not immediately get a response. We will update this breaking story with any new information.

Monarez was confirmed by the Senate at the end of July in a 51–47 vote along party lines. She was the first nominee for CDC director that was required to go through Senate confirmation following a law mandating it in 2022.

US Health Secretary and fervent anti-vaccine advocate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. swore Monarez into the role on July 31, saying in a statement, "Dr. Monarez is a public health expert with unimpeachable scientific credentials. I have full confidence in her ability to restore the CDC’s role as the most trusted authority in public health and to strengthen our nation's readiness to confront infectious diseases and biosecurity threats."

Monarez has a PhD in microbiology and immunology and previously served as the deputy director for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) under the Biden administration. She also previously held leadership and advisory roles with Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) at HHS, the Department of Homeland Security, the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy, and the National Security Council.

A low point for the agency

As Ars has reported previously, Monarez quietly helmed the CDC as acting director from January to March of this year but stepped down as required when Donald Trump nominated her for the permanent role. She was Trump's second nominee for the role, with the first being Dave Weldon, whose nomination was abandoned over concerns about his anti-vaccine views.