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.
Monarez offered a welcome contrast, as her views generally align with the evidence-based public health community, and she has earned support from experts in the field. Jennifer Nuzzo, director of the Pandemic Center at the Brown University School of Public Health, told NPR at the time of her confirmation that Monarez is “a loyal, hardworking civil servant who leads with evidence and pragmatism and has been dedicated to improving the health of Americans for the entirety of her career.”
Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, told the outlet that Monarez “values science, is a solid researcher, and has a history of being a good manager. We’re looking forward to working with her.”
The reported ouster comes at what feels like a nadir for the CDC. The agency has lost hundreds of staff from layoffs and buyouts. Vital health programs have been shuttered or hampered. Dangerous rhetoric and health misinformation from Kennedy and other health officials in the Trump administration have made once-respected CDC experts feel vilified by the public and targets of hate. Kennedy himself has falsely called the COVID-19 shots the “deadliest vaccine ever made” and the CDC a “cesspool of corruption,” for example.
On August 8, a gunman warped by vaccine disinformation opened fire on the CDC campus. Of nearly 500 shots fired, about 200 struck six CDC buildings as terrified staff dove for safety. One local police officer was killed in the incident. The gunman had specifically targeted the CDC for the shooting and blamed COVID-19 vaccines for his health problems.
This post has been updated to include the social media post from HHS and reporting from the New York Times on the circumstances around Monarez’s exit.
