Chaos erupted at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this week in what many are calling the “Wednesday Night Massacre,” after the sudden removal of Director Susan Monarez was followed by the resignation of four top officials and a mass staff walkout. The turmoil has triggered warnings from public health leaders and bipartisan calls for congressional intervention, with experts describing the upheaval as “an absolute disaster for public health.”
On Wednesday afternoon, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), led by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., announced on social media that Monarez was no longer the CDC’s director. Hours later, Monarez’s legal team declared she had been fired, not resigned, and accused Kennedy of targeting her after she objected to new immunization guidelines related to the COVID-19 vaccine.
According to her lawyers, the decision was driven by her opposition to a policy shift that “would put millions of American lives at risk.” In a statement, they warned: “This is about the systematic dismantling of public health institutions, the silencing of experts, and the dangerous politicization of science. The attack on Dr. Monarez is a warning to every American: Our evidence-based systems are being undermined from within.”
The firing came the same day the Food and Drug Administration announced a narrowing of conditions required for Americans to receive approval for available COVID-19 vaccines. Public health experts expressed concern that the move “injects uncertainty for Americans not considered high-risk who want to get another coronavirus vaccine. They said it’s not clear who will ultimately be able to get the shot, whether insurance will cover it and whether they can get vaccinated at their local pharmacy,” according to the Washington Post.
By Wednesday night, four senior CDC officials resigned in protest. Those who stepped down included Demetre C. Daskalakis, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases; Daniel Jernigan, director of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases; Dr. Jennifer Layden, head of the Office of Public Health Data; and CDC Chief Medical Officer Debra Houry.
Dr. Richard Pan, a pediatrician and former Democratic state senator in California, called the moment the “Wednesday Night Massacre at the CDC,” likening it to the “Saturday Night Massacre” of the Watergate era.
In his resignation letter, Daskalakis wrote that “after much contemplation and reflection on recent developments and perspectives brought to light by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., I find that the views he and his staff have shared challenge my ability to continue in my current role at the agency and in the service of the health of the American people. Enough is enough.”
He added: “I am unable to serve in an environment that treats CDC as a tool to generate policies and materials that do not reflect scientific reality and are designed to hurt rather than to improve the public’s health. The recent change in the adult and children’s immunization schedule threaten the lives of the youngest Americans and pregnant people. The data analyses that supported this decision have never been shared with CDC despite my respectful requests to HHS and other leadership. This lack of meaningful engagement was further compounded by a ‘frequently asked questions’ document written to support the Secretary’s directive that was circulated by HHS without input from CDC subject matter experts and that cited studies that did not support the conclusions that were attributed to these authors. Having worked in local and national public health for years, I have never experienced such radical non-transparency, nor have I seen such unskilled manipulation of data to achieve a political end rather than the good of the American people.”
He further warned: “It is untenable to serve in an organization that is not afforded the opportunity to discuss decisions of scientific and public health importance released under the moniker of CDC. The lack of communication by HHS and other CDC political leadership that culminates in social media posts announcing major policy changes without prior notice demonstrate a disregard of normal communication channels and common sense. Having to retrofit analyses and policy actions to match inadequately thought-out announcements in poorly scripted videos or page long X posts should not be how organizations responsible for the health of people should function.”
The next day, the crisis escalated when hundreds of CDC staff staged a walkout in Atlanta to support the resigning officials. As Daskalakis, Jernigan, and Houry exited the building after clearing out their offices, they were met by cheering colleagues who followed them outside. NBC Atlanta reporter Marissa Sarbak posted a video showing crowds gathering to applaud the departing leaders.
Before leaving, Houry gave a brief speech, telling staff that “We need congress to intervene.” Jernigan, who had nearly two decades at the CDC, told the Washington Post that his “last straw” was being forced to work with David Geier, a longtime promoter of false theories linking vaccines to autism. “The current administration has made it very difficult for me to stay,” Jernigan said. “We have been asked to revise and to review and change studies that have been settled in the past, scientific findings that were there to help guide vaccine decisions.”
Critics across the political spectrum condemned the upheaval. Sen. Rafael Warnock (D-Ga.) charged that “President Trump and Sec. Kennedy are trying to purge anyone who stands up against their anti-science agenda at the CDC. They’re risking disease outbreak and another pandemic just to advance their own extremist goals.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) called for an immediate Senate HELP Committee hearing. “It’s outrageous that Sec. Kennedy is trying to fire the CDC Director—after only a few weeks on the job—for her commitment to public health and vaccines,” Sanders said. “Vaccines save lives. Period.”
Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) demanded Kennedy’s removal. “Fire him,” she posted on social media. In a separate statement, she warned, “We cannot let RFK Jr. burn what’s left of the CDC and our other critical health agencies to the ground—he must be fired. I hope my Republican colleagues who have come to regret their vote to confirm RFK Jr. will join me in calling for his immediate termination from office.”
Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) also joined calls for Kennedy’s dismissal, while Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) urged HHS to postpone its upcoming Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices meeting, citing “serious allegations” raised by the resigned officials.
Public health experts voiced similar alarm. Dr. Georges C. Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, said Monarez’s ouster “is yet another glaring sign of Secretary Kennedy’s failed leadership and reckless mismanagement. His tenure has been marked by chaos, disorganization, and a blatant disregard for science and evidence-based public health. RFK Jr. must be removed from his position.”
Dr. Robert Steinbrook, director of health research at Public Citizen, stressed the gravity of the situation: “Ousting the first Senate-confirmed CDC director weeks into the start of her tenure makes absolutely no sense and underscores the destructive chaos at RFK Jr.’s Department of Health and Human Services. The CDC is being decapitated. This is an absolute disaster for public health.”
As the CDC faces a leadership vacuum and confusion over vaccine policy deepens, critics say the episode highlights the politicization of science and the risks to national health preparedness. What began as an announcement on social media has spiraled into one of the sharpest crises the agency has faced in decades.
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