Head of US health agency refuses to step down after firing

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The head of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has refused to step down after the Trump administration attempted to fire her.

Lawyers for Susan Monarez said on X on Wednesday evening that “she will not resign”, adding that she had not been notified by the White House about her firing.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Department of Health and Human Services said Monarez was no longer head of the CDC. Monarez’s lawyers hit back at the HHS, saying health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr and the Trump administration “have set their sights on weaponising public health for political gain”.

“When CDC director Susan Monarez refused to rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives and fire dedicated health experts, she chose protecting the public over serving a political agenda,” her lawyers said.

Monarez was confirmed as CDC director on July 29 and was lauded by Kennedy for “unimpeachable scientific credentials”. Her role as CDC director includes identifying health threats, ranging from diseases to poisonings. The agency is part of the HHS.

The Trump administration’s attempt to oust Monarez mimics the US president’s war with Lisa Cook, the Fed governor President Donald Trump tried to remove earlier this week, alleging she had engaged in mortgage fraud.

Cook, who denies the allegations, has refused to leave her post and has vowed to sue the administration, claiming the president has no authority to dismiss her. The clash is likely to head to the Supreme Court.

Both Cook and Monarez are represented by lawyer Abbe Lowell, who has previously defended former president Joe Biden’s son Hunter and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.

At her Senate confirmation hearing, Monarez repeatedly defended Kennedy. Asked if she had any disagreements with him, she said: “[He] is doing the important work of leading a complex agency. He is supporting preventing chronic diseases.”

The CDC plays an important role in overseeing vaccines, and Kennedy is sceptical about the benefits of vaccines. The CDC’s website still recommends a Covid-19 vaccine “for most adults ages 18 and older”. 

On Wednesday, the Food and Drug Administration authorised the latest Covid-19 shots for adults over the age of 65 and others “with at least one underlying condition” that puts them at higher risk.