{"id":115712,"date":"2025-08-28T07:23:06","date_gmt":"2025-08-28T07:23:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/115712\/"},"modified":"2025-08-28T07:23:06","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T07:23:06","slug":"hes-weaponizing-public-health-rfk-jr-s-hand-picked-cdc-in-disarray-as-three-members-resign-and-the-director-refuses-to-resign","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/115712\/","title":{"rendered":"‘He\u2019s weaponizing public health\u2019: RFK, Jr.\u2019s hand picked CDC in disarray as three members resign and the director refuses to resign"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Trump administration moved Wednesday to oust Susan Monarez as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention after she faced pressure to change vaccine policy, sparking the resignation of other senior CDC officials and a showdown over whether she could be removed.<\/p>\n

Hours after the Department of Health and Human Services announced Monarez was no longer the director, her lawyers responded with a fiery statement saying she has not resigned or been fired. They accused HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of \u201cweaponizing public health for political gain\u201d and \u201cputting millions of American lives at risk\u201d by purging health officials from government.<\/p>\n

\u2026<\/p>\n

Monarez,\u00a0who was confirmed in late July<\/a>, was pressed for days by Kennedy, administration lawyers and other officials over whether she would support rescinding certain approvals for coronavirus vaccines, according to two people with knowledge of those conversations. Kennedy, who has a long history of anti-vaccine advocacy, and other officials questioned Monarez on Monday on whether she was aligned with the administration\u2019s efforts to change vaccine policy, the people said.<\/p>\n

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Monarez, who was a longtime federal government scientist before President Donald Trump nominated her to lead the CDC, declined to commit to support changing coronavirus vaccine policy without consulting her advisers, two people said. That prompted Kennedy to urge her to resign for \u201cnot supporting President Trump\u2019s agenda,\u201d one of the people said.<\/p>\n

\u2026<\/p>\n

After news of Monarez\u2019s ouster, at least three top CDC officials announced their resignations Wednesday, citing lost funding, political climate and a broader attack on public health, according to their emails to staff obtained by The Post.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am not able to serve in this role any longer because of the ongoing weaponizing of public health,\u201d wrote Demetre Daskalakis, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, adding that CDC staff \u201ccontinue to shine despite this dark cloud over the agency and our profession.\u201d<\/p>\n

The CDC\u2019s chief medical officer, Debra Houry, told staff that \u201congoing changes\u201d prevent her from continuing in her job.<\/p>\n

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