America’s public health leadership is facing a crisis unlike any in recent memory, with political infighting, mass resignations, and mounting public confusion threatening the nation’s response to COVID-19 and other major health threats. As the country heads into another cold and flu season, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)—long considered the world’s gold standard for disease control—is reeling from a leadership shakeup that has left both experts and everyday Americans deeply unsettled.
The turmoil began with the abrupt firing of CDC director Dr. Susan Monarez by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a move that triggered a cascade of high-level resignations and fierce backlash from the public health community. According to a scathing New York Times op-ed published on September 1, 2025, nine former CDC directors accused Kennedy of "endangering every American’s health" by undermining science, gutting agency funding, and replacing seasoned experts with vaccine skeptics. The authors, who collectively spent over a century at the CDC and served under both Republican and Democratic administrations, wrote, "What RFK Jr. has done to the CDC and to our nation's public health system over the past several months—culminating in his decision to fire Dr. Susan Monarez as CDC director days ago—is unlike anything we have ever seen at the agency, and unlike anything our country has ever experienced." (Common Dreams)
Dr. Monarez’s ouster came just weeks after her confirmation by the Senate in late July 2025, following her nomination by President Donald Trump. The former directors allege that Monarez was forced out after refusing to "rubber-stamp dangerous and unfounded vaccine recommendations or heed [Kennedy’s] demand to fire senior CDC staff members." They emphasized, "These are not typical requests from a health secretary to a CDC director. Not even close. None of us would have agreed to the secretary's demands, and we applaud Dr. Monarez for standing up for the agency and the health of our communities."
The fallout was immediate and severe. Four top CDC officials resigned in protest: chief medical officer Debra Houry, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases director Daniel Jernigan, public health data chief Jennifer Layden, and respiratory diseases director Demetre Daskalakis. In his public resignation letter, Daskalakis warned, "There is now an irresistible force that is going to make it impossible for CDC to maintain the validity of its science against ideology" (NBC). He further criticized Kennedy, stating, "I am not sure who the Secretary is listening to, but it is quite certainly not to us. Unvetted and conflicted outside organizations seem to be the sources HHS use over the gold standard science of CDC and other reputable sources." (The Independent)
Behind the scenes, Kennedy’s tenure has been marked by a series of controversial moves. The former CDC directors detailed that Kennedy has fired thousands of federal health workers, slashed funding for critical programs aimed at protecting Americans from cancer, heart attacks, strokes, and other threats, and canceled investments in promising medical research that could have prepared the nation for future emergencies. They also accused him of ending U.S. support for global vaccination initiatives, decisions they say are based on flawed research and inaccurate statements. Perhaps most alarmingly, Kennedy has replaced experts on federal health advisory committees with individuals who share his "dangerous and unscientific views."
As confusion swirls around new, more restrictive CDC vaccine guidelines—leaving many Americans unsure of their eligibility for COVID-19 shots—political leaders are piling on the pressure. President Donald Trump, who launched Operation Warp Speed in April 2020 to accelerate the development of COVID-19 vaccines, has publicly questioned the effectiveness of the very vaccines produced under his administration. In a recent Truth Social post, Trump demanded that pharmaceutical companies "justify the success" of their COVID drugs and share their "extraordinary" data with the public, writing, "Many people think they are a miracle that saved millions of lives. Others disagree! With CDC being ripped apart over this question, I want the answer, and I want it NOW." (The Independent)
Trump’s remarks have struck a nerve among both supporters and critics. While he has often praised Operation Warp Speed as "one of the greatest achievements ever," he has also lamented what he sees as a lack of credit for its success. At the same time, Trump’s base remains deeply skeptical of vaccines, presenting a tricky balancing act for the former president as he navigates the political fallout from Kennedy’s actions at HHS and the CDC.
The leadership vacuum at the CDC has only deepened with the appointment of Jim O'Neill, a Kennedy aide and biotech investor, as the agency’s interim director. Critics, including Robert Steinbrook of Public Citizen’s health research group, warn that "unlike Susan Monarez, O'Neill is likely to rubber-stamp dangerous vaccine recommendations from HHS Secretary Kennedy's handpicked appointees to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and obey orders to fire CDC public health experts with scientific integrity." (Common Dreams)
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are now preparing to grill Kennedy at a congressional hearing scheduled for Thursday, September 4, 2025. The former CDC directors have called on Congress to "exercise its oversight authority over HHS," and urged state and local governments, philanthropy, and the private sector to step in and support science-based public health efforts. Their message to the remaining CDC staff was one of gratitude and encouragement: "Their ongoing dedication is a model for all of us. But it's clear that the agency is hurting badly."
The warnings from outgoing CDC officials have been stark. In their resignation letters, they decried the agency’s reliance on "unscientific" policies and the promotion of "misinformation" that "will result in death and disability of vulnerable children and adults." Former CDC vaccine chief Dr. Demetre Daskalakis told NBC’s Meet the Press, "There is now an irresistible force that is going to make it impossible for CDC to maintain the validity of its science against ideology." Former surgeon general Jerome Adams, writing in The Washington Post, described the situation as "a national security crisis," citing "a clear pattern of insidious spread of fearmongering and misinformation emanating from the highest echelons of our nation's health research agencies."
For many in the public health and scientific communities, the events of recent weeks represent a dangerous politicization of institutions that have long protected American lives. As the nation braces for another wave of respiratory illnesses, the stakes could hardly be higher. The nine former CDC directors, in their joint plea, urged Americans to "rally to protect the health of every American" and to "stand up for science and truth."
With the CDC’s credibility under threat and its leadership in flux, the coming weeks will be critical—not just for the agency itself, but for the health and safety of millions of Americans who rely on its guidance. The outcome of the congressional hearing and the public’s response to these unprecedented events may well determine the future course of the nation’s public health system.
