Susan Monarez was let go from her position as director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wednesday.
According to a social media message from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Monarez was as of Wednesday "no longer director" of the CDC, the nation's foremost public health agency.
But in a statement released Wednesday afternoon, attorneys for Monarez say she has not been fired and will not resign.
"First it was independent advisory committees and career experts. Then it was the dismissal of seasoned scientists. Now, Secretary Kennedy and HHS have set their signs on weaponizing public health for political gain and putting millions of American lives at risk," the statement read. "When CDC Director Susan Monarez refused to rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives and fire dedicated health experts she chose protecting the public over serving a political agenda. For that, she has been targeted. Dr. Monarez has neither resigned nor received notification from the White House that she has been fired, and as a person of integrity and devoted to science, she will not resign."
Susan Monarez is no longer director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We thank her for her dedicated service to the American people. @SecKennedy has full confidence in his team at @CDCgov who will continue to be vigilant in protecting Americans against infectious…
— HHS.gov (@HHSGov) August 27, 2025
Scripps News has reached out to the CDC, HHS and the White House for comment.
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Monarez's ouster comes less than a month after she was confirmed by the Senate to lead the CDC.
Monarez, 50, was named acting director in January and then tapped as the nominee in March after Trump abruptly withdrew his first choice, David Weldon.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
