CDC Director Susan Monarez refuses to step down, arguing only Trump can fire her

Politics CDC Director Susan Monarez ousted weeks after she was confirmed by Senate By Olivia Rinaldi, Olivia Rinaldi White House reporter Olivia Rinaldi is a White House reporter at CBS News. She covered President Trump's 2024 presidential campaign and was previously an associate producer for "CBS Evening News with Norah O'Donnell" and a broadcast associate for "Face the Nation." She is based in Washington, D.C. Read Full Bio Olivia Rinaldi, Joe Walsh, Joe Walsh Senior Editor, Politics Joe Walsh is a senior editor for digital politics at CBS News. Joe previously covered breaking news for Forbes and local news in Boston. Read Full Bio Joe Walsh, Dr. Céline Gounder Dr. Céline Gounder Medical Correspondent Dr. Céline Gounder, an internist, epidemiologist and infectious disease specialist, is a CBS News medical correspondent as well as senior fellow and editor-at-large for public health at KFF Health News. Read Full Bio Dr. Céline Gounder Updated on: August 28, 2025 / 8:57 AM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Washington — Susan Monarez, the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is being ousted from her role less than a month after the Senate confirmed her to lead the public health agency, the White House confirmed to CBS News.The Department of Health and Human Services announced in an X post Wednesday that Monarez no longer leads the CDC. Reports on her ouster were immediately followed by a dispute between the administration and her attorneys regarding whether she had been legally fired, with lawyers for Monarez arguing she's still in charge of the CDC and only President Trump can fire her.It's not clear why Monarez was removed from the job — but several other top CDC officials resigned Wednesday, often citing disagreements with the Trump administration over its vaccine policy, budgets cuts to the agency, and what one described as the "weaponization of public health."Prominent D.C.-based at...