Cuts, Clashes, and Chaos at the CDC

September 1st, 2025
Christina Yang

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has long been a target of controversy and has faced many challenges in balancing politics and public health, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the past year, the CDC has been the subject of more controversy following the appointment of the director of the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. His promotion of problematic ideas and push for CDC staff layoffs have sparked nationwide anger. Additionally, on August 8, a Georgia man fired almost 200 shots at the CDC building due to his hatred for the COVID-19 vaccine. In the latest saga of political turmoil plaguing the nation’s top public health agency, CDC director Susan Monarez has just been fired after less than one month on the job.

Monarez and Kennedy have always had conflicting views, especially on the topic of vaccines. Kennedy has been a long-time anti-vaccine leader and removed all 17 members of the CDC's vaccine advisory panel (ACIP), which makes recommendations on the safety, efficacy and clinical demand of vaccines each June. Additionally, Kennedy halted contracts for mRNA vaccine research and announced the COVID-19 vaccine as dangerous for pregnant women and young people. On the other hand, Monarez, an infectious disease researcher, has been vocal about her support for vaccines.

As a result of this intense clash, the White House stated that Monarez’s views weren’t aligned with Trump’s agenda, and she refused to resign, so she was fired. More specifically, Monarez refused to automatically sign off on any of Kennedy’s hand-picked vaccine advisors, refused to comply with orders to fire her management team, and refused to rubber-stamp any of Kennedy’s unscientific initiatives.

Coming after Monarez’s firing, four other top CDC officials have resigned. This includes Dr. Debra Houry, the agency's deputy director; Dr. Daniel Jernigan, head of the agency's National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases; Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, head of its National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases; and Dr. Jennifer Layden, director of the Office of Public Health Data, Surveillance, and Technology. These officials noted that they rejected the weaponization of health and scientific matters by politics.

The Department of Health and Human Services’ Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill has been named the acting director of the CDC. O’Neill has been a huge supporter of Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” campaign, and now wants to tighten political control over the CDC. O’Neill also has no medical or scientific background, contrasting Monarez, who has a doctorate in microbiology.

The firing of Monarez is a move that exacerbates the politicization of science and the silencing of public health institutions and experts. This move also has many dangerous implications for the future of America’s public health. Many people, including CDC officials, are worried about what other anti-vaccine and anti-science measures will be taken now that Monarez is gone and unable to try to block Kennedy’s efforts. A committee on September 19 will vote on vaccines that have been installed as fixtures for children, such as hepatitis B, measles, mumps and rubella. What comes next could have serious consequences for the health of children and place America’s overall public health in a state of peril.

Extemp Analysis By: Daphne Kalir-Starr

Question: What impact will the MAHA movement have on American health?

AGD: The opportunities for MAHA are endless because of RFK. Pick your poison (which I guess in his mind are vaccines): the brain worm, the pet crow, the hauling and eating of a whale carcass, or this, or this . . . there are a bunch of different jokes you could crack. But obviously, I will advocate for telling someone’s story. Find someone who has seen their medicine subsidies cut by NiH and CDC cuts. Maybe find someone who saw their life saved because of a vaccine who is now fearing their withdrawal.

Background: tight three sentences. 1st: what is MAHA/introduce RFK as head of Health and Human services. 2: what he’s done so far via cuts/firing of Monarez (read more above). 3: potential impacts this could have on America’s health/look into the first

SOS: Make this about the health of Americans. Relate it back to lives being lost. Something like “So considering, that RFK has recently terminated a 750 million dollar deal with moderna to innovate a cure to the bird flu, the very same disease which has already cost two American lives, that we must ask”

Q: ;

A: MAHA is going to greatly harm American health

Leaving hospitals out to dry (this is the most immediate impact. The CDC and NiH funded a bunch of hospital’s funding which helped them stay alive. Now, they’re going to shutter which will lead to healthcare deserts)
Rolling back vaccine production (this is a point about RFK cracking down on vaccines/cutting CDC funding towards their production. Talk about vunerable populations who won’t get the protection they need
Harm CDC monitoring (long-term impact. RFK has been cutting a bunch of CDC watchdog programs so when the next pandemic comes around, we won’t have warning/councils to tell us what symptoms to look for, or how to protect ourselves. Misinformation will run rampant.)