Five times RFK Jr. and CDC scientists clashed before director was fired

The Washington Post ^ | August 28, 2025 | David Ovalle and Victoria Bisset

[E. Pluribus Unum]

In the months before director Susan Monarez was fired, the agency faced mass firings, changing vaccine advice and a shooting at its headquarters in Atlanta.

The White House fired Susan Monarez, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, after she refused to resign amid pressure from the Trump administration to change vaccine policy. Her lawyers accused Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of “weaponizing public health for political gain” and “putting millions of American lives at risk” by purging health officials from government. Following her abrupt exit, weeks after the Senate confirmed her to lead the CDC, at least three top CDC officials announced their resignations. The backlash to Monarez’s ouster marks the latest instance of Kennedy, the founder of an anti-vaccine organization who last year called the CDC a “cesspool of corruption,” clashing with agency scientists since he became the nation’s top health official in February. Here’s what to know.

In this article

• Mass HHS layoffs and restructuring purge ranks of CDC
• CDC vaccine adviser quits after Kennedy narrowed access to coronavirus vaccines
• Kennedy replaces members of independent vaccine committee with his appointees
• Another vaccine expert quits
• CDC shooting leaves employees angry at Kennedy, Trump

Mass HHS layoffs and restructuring purge ranks of CDC

Days after Kennedy was sworn into office, several thousand federal health workers, including some at the CDC, started receiving notices that they would be terminated. The notices came in a mass firing and restructuring. Budget cuts and additional layoffs came in the following weeks. Although administration officials have said they’re remaking federal health agencies to save money, improve efficiency and prevent waste, public health employees say Kennedy’s approach undermined their work. Many of the firings have been paused while they are challenged in...

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TOPICS: Health/Medicine
KEYWORDS: cdc; rfkjr

[JayGalt]

If anyone discovers a link that accesses the article w/o a subscription please post it.

[Prince of Space]

If you click one of the 5 links in the article, it expands the link you clicked. Not sure if that’s the entirety of that link but at least you can access more of the story.

[JayGalt]

Thank you.

[JayGalt]

The link I clicked led to an archived copy of the article. Perfect. This termination and the resignation of other CDC staff is a godsend. The article takes the position that the COVID shot was a great victory and should be promoted for all. I think most FR readers have a very different take.
IMO this “shot” killed many people and helped no one. Giving it to pregnant women and children was and is unjustifiable. The leading actors in mandating it should be stripped of professional credentials and in some cases indicted.

[BobL]

I would have FIRED her for having gray hair and not doing anything about it, given her age.