HEALTHCDC Officials Quit and Send Dire Warning of RFK Jr.'s Damaging Takeover in the Health System
Several CDC officials have resigned after Susan Monarez was fired from her role as CDC director.
Aug. 28 2025, Published 6:02 p.m. ET
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s run as health secretary has created one of the most problematic rifts between acting CDC officials and a president’s appointed staff in the history of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention organization.
RFK Jr.’s stance against vaccines has long been a controversial topic, ultimately leading CDC director Susan Monarez to be fired on Wednesday, August 26, after arguing with the health secretary over her refusal to pull approvals for several COVID-19 vaccines.
Susan Monarez's Firing Leads Several CDC Officials to Quit
RFK Jr. and Susan Monarez reportedly argued over vaccines before she was fired.
The official X account for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services confirmed Monarez’s exit in a tweet on Wednesday after the incident took place. “Susan Monarez is no longer director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We thank her for her dedicated service to the American people,” the tweet read.
Not long after she was fired, a group of top CDC officials emailed their resignation letters. In addition, said individuals included dire warnings of RFK Jr.’s damaging foresight for the health care system.
Chief Medical Officer Quits
Debra Houry claimed there has been a 'rise of misinformation,' leading her to resign.
In her resignation letter, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Debra Houry wrote, “For the good of the nation and the world, the science at CDC should never be censored or subject to political pauses or interpretations. Vaccines save lives — this is an indisputable, well-established, scientific fact." She also noted how “the overstating of risks and the rise of misinformation have cost lives.”
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Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases Quits
Dr. Demetre Daskalakis said he could no longer work for an organization aimed to 'hurt' the public.
Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, shared his resignation letter via X, where he criticized the “lack of communication by HHS and other CDC political leadership.”
“The intentional eroding of trust in low-risk vaccines favoring natural infection and unproven remedies will bring us to a pre-vaccine era where only the strong will survive and many if not all will suffer,” Daskalakis noted. “I believe in nutrition and exercise. I believe in making our food supply healthier, and I also believe in using vaccines to prevent death and disability. Eugenics plays prominently in the rhetoric being generated and is derivative of a legacy that good medicine and science should continue to shun.”
He further stated he is “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.”
Director of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases Quits
Dr. Daniel Jernigan felt it was in his 'best' interest to quit from the CDC.
Dr. Daniel Jernigan, director of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, also detailed his reason for quitting his position at the CDC, writing, “I believe strongly in the mission of public health and the leadership that CDC has given for almost 80 years; however, given the current context in the Department, I feel it is best for me to offer my resignation.”
