In a September 17 hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, former Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Susan Monarez, Ph.D., described the current climate at the agency and the circumstances surrounding her dismissal.

Dr. Monarez, who was appointed by President Trump and confirmed by the Senate as CDC director in July, was fired on August 27. Her dismissal was first announced in an X post by the U.S. Department for Health and Human Services (HHS)—even prior to Dr. Monarez being notified of the decision herself, per her lawyers. The post was later followed by an official statement from the White House, which claimed that Dr. Monarez is not aligned with the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) agenda promoted by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.).

Shortly after Dr. Monarez was terminated, three veteran, top-ranking CDC scientific officials also resigned: Debra Houry, M.D., Chief Medical Officer and Deputy Director of Programs and Science; Demetre Daskalakis, M.D., Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases; and Dan Jernigan, M.D., Director of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID).

Relevant to food safety, Dr. Jernigan headed NCEZID, which is responsible for tracking foodborne illness outbreaks, zoonotic diseases, and antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Dr. Houry also testified at the September 17 Senate HELP Committee hearing alongside Dr. Monarez.

In the hearing, Drs. Monarez and Houry described leaving a CDC that was making decisions based on the ideology of the Administration and presidential appointees, rather than evidence and science. Dr. Houry said CDC had been reduced to a “rubber stamp” for Secretary Kennedy.

Dr. Monarez said she was fired following a series of meetings with Secretary Kennedy in which she refused to terminate Drs. Houry, Daskalakis, and Jernigan. She said she had no basis to fire the experts. Dr. Monarez also said she was asked—and declined—to pre-approve CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP’s) recommendations without having reviewed the evidence.

Secretary Kennedy has denied the claims made by Dr. Monarez about her dismissal, instead saying he fired her because she was "untrustworthy."

The firing of Dr. Monarez comes during an already tumultuous time for CDC, including significant workforce and budget reductions. Relevant to food safety, CDC funding cuts have affected the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) surveillance program, which, in August, quietly slashed the number of foodborne pathogens monitored under the program from eight to two.