Jim O’Neill becomes acting CDC director amid growing unrest inside the nation’s top public health agency. The White House has moved to replace Susan Monarez less than a month after she was sworn in, sparking internal resignations and renewed political tension.
Monarez is contesting her dismissal, which has not been formally explained. Her lawyers say only President Donald Trump, who nominated her in March, can remove her. They claim she resisted efforts to impose what they described as unscientific and politically driven health directives.
O’Neill, a senior deputy to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., will take over in the interim, according to an administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity. The shift follows the resignation of three high-ranking CDC officials who left in protest: Dr. Debra Houry, Dr. Demetre Daskalakis and Dr. Daniel Jernigan. All were escorted from the agency’s Atlanta headquarters Thursday morning.
CDC resignations follow Monarez’s removal
Dr. Houry, who served as deputy director and chief medical officer, said Monarez worked to protect the CDC’s scientific integrity. She said staff had hoped Monarez could withstand pressure from the administration, but her removal prompted their departure.
Dr. Daskalakis, former head of the CDC’s immunization center, said he left because the agency’s science was being compromised. Jernigan resigned from his role overseeing infectious diseases.
Kennedy, who has reshaped several public health agencies since taking office, has not publicly explained the decision. At a recent news conference, he said deeper changes were necessary to shift the CDC’s institutional culture. The White House later stated Monarez was not aligned with Trump’s agenda.
Vaccine panel restructure sparks backlash
The leadership turmoil comes just weeks before a key advisory committee on immunizations is set to meet. Kennedy dismissed all previous members of the panel in June, citing their ties to vaccine manufacturers, and replaced them with vaccine skeptics. The changes have raised questions about the credibility of the panel’s upcoming recommendations.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Republican from Louisiana and chair of the Senate committee overseeing health policy, said the meeting should be postponed. He cited serious concerns about the panel’s agenda and scientific process, adding that decisions affecting children’s health require full congressional oversight.
Monarez had pushed for more transparency in the committee’s operations, including releasing materials in advance and allowing public comment. Those proposals were blocked by officials within the Department of Health and Human Services.
If removed, Monarez would be the shortest-serving CDC director since the agency’s founding in 1946. Her brief tenure reflects broader instability in public health leadership under the current administration.
