The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), once considered the gold standard of public health agencies, has been thrust into a storm of controversy and leadership upheaval that has left many Americans wondering about the future of the nation’s health security. The turmoil reached a boiling point in late August 2025, when Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired CDC director Susan Monarez, less than a month after her Senate confirmation—a move that sent shockwaves through the public health community and triggered a cascade of resignations and public rebukes.
On August 27, 2025, Monarez was abruptly dismissed after she refused to approve vaccine directives from Kennedy. According to The New York Times, Monarez’s lawyers stated she had resisted changes to vaccine policies that she believed contradicted scientific evidence. The fallout was immediate: four top CDC scientists resigned in protest, citing irreconcilable disagreements with the administration’s new vaccine policies and leadership changes. The White House quickly appointed Jim O’Neill, a deputy to Kennedy, as acting director of the CDC. O’Neill, notably, is not a physician or scientist—a break from tradition for the agency’s top post.
The leadership shake-up at the CDC came at a precarious moment. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had just cleared updated COVID vaccines for the upcoming respiratory virus season, but with narrowed indications that made it more difficult for certain groups—like lower-risk adults and young children—to access the shots. This policy shift sowed confusion across the country, with pharmacies like CVS initially holding off on offering the vaccine in several states due to regulatory barriers. Some states, including New Mexico and Colorado, scrambled to ensure continued access by issuing health orders or exploring new policies to eliminate prescription requirements.
But the real bombshell came on September 1, 2025, when nine former CDC directors, who served under both Democratic and Republican administrations dating back to 1977, published a scathing guest essay in The New York Times. The headline was blunt: “We Ran the C.D.C: Kennedy is Endangering Every American’s Health.” Their warning was unequivocal: “What Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has done to the C.D.C. and to our nation’s public health system over the past several months — culminating in his decision to fire Dr. Susan Monarez as C.D.C. director days ago — is unlike anything we have ever seen at the agency, and unlike anything our country has ever experienced.”
The former directors, including William Foege, William Roper, David Satcher, Jeffrey Koplan, Richard Besser, Tom Frieden, Anne Schuchat, Rochelle P. Walensky, and Mandy K. Cohen, accused Kennedy of a sweeping range of actions: firing thousands of federal health workers, severely weakening public health programs, focusing on unproven treatments while downplaying vaccines, canceling investments in promising medical research, and replacing qualified experts on federal health advisory committees with individuals who share his “dangerous and unscientific views.” They also criticized the end of U.S. support for global vaccination programs, which they said would leave the country ill-prepared for future health emergencies.
“This is unacceptable, and it should alarm every American, regardless of political leanings,” the former directors wrote. They described the firing of Monarez—and the subsequent resignations of other top CDC officials—as “adding considerable fuel to this raging fire.” The group warned that Kennedy’s decisions would make it far more difficult for the CDC to fulfill its core mission: protecting Americans from threats to their lives and health.
In their essay, the directors reflected on their collective experience—over 100 years at the CDC—and noted that while disagreements with political leaders were not uncommon, “they never gave us reason to doubt that they would rely on data-driven insights for our protection, or that they would support public health workers.” They credited public health gains, from reducing smoking to increasing vaccination access, with raising average life expectancy in the U.S. from 66 years in 1946 to 78 years today.
The former directors also called on Congress to “exercise its oversight authority” over the Department of Health and Human Services. They urged state and local governments to fill funding gaps, philanthropists and the private sector to invest in communities, and medical groups and physicians to “stand up for science and truth.”
Meanwhile, Kennedy defended his actions in a dueling op-ed published in The Wall Street Journal on September 2, 2025. He outlined six priorities for the CDC, including restoring public trust, enhancing scientific rigor, and ensuring America leads in safe, effective vaccines and trusted guidance. “First, the CDC must restore public trust—and that restoration has begun. It won’t stop until America’s public-health institutions again serve the people with transparency, honesty and integrity,” Kennedy wrote. He pledged to clear “bureaucratic inertia, politicized science, and mission creep,” and to refocus the CDC on infectious disease, innovation, and transparency.
Kennedy’s vaccine skepticism and moves to restrict eligibility for COVID-19 vaccines have caused ongoing tension between the CDC, physician groups, and the administration. The new recommendation under Kennedy is that the COVID-19 vaccine be available primarily for those 65 and older and people with specific conditions, with others able to get the vaccine only “in consultation” with their doctor. Critics, including the former CDC directors, warn that such policies could restrict access for vulnerable groups, including children and low-income families, especially if Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program follow suit.
The controversy has spilled into Congress, with some lawmakers calling for Kennedy’s resignation or firing. Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, has called for a hearing to probe Kennedy’s actions, though no such hearing has been scheduled yet. Kennedy is slated to testify before the Senate Finance Committee on September 4, 2025, to discuss President Trump’s healthcare agenda and his “Make America Healthy Again” initiatives. It remains to be seen whether senators will demand answers about the recent shake-up at the CDC.
The debate over vaccine policy is also playing out among lawmakers. Republican Senators Rand Paul (KY) and Bill Cassidy (LA) have publicly sparred over the recommendation for the newborn hepatitis B vaccine, highlighting sharp divisions even within the same party. As Newsweek reported, Paul questioned the need for universal newborn vaccination, while Cassidy emphasized the risks of hepatitis B transmission and the importance of broad immunization.
Adding to the uncertainty, the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel—entirely replaced by Kennedy earlier this year—is set to meet on September 18 to consider recommendations on the newborn hepatitis B vaccine, infant RSV, and COVID-19 vaccination for healthy children and young adults. The acting CDC director, Jim O’Neill, faces tough decisions on these issues, and observers are watching closely to see how vaccine policy will evolve under his leadership.
Amid the turmoil, one thing is clear: the nation’s public health system stands at a crossroads. With trust in institutions on the line, the coming weeks will be critical in determining whether the CDC can regain its footing—or whether the ripple effects of this leadership crisis will be felt for years to come.
