Susan Monarez - Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Susan Monarez was removed by President Trump on 28 August 2025, just one month after her confirmation by the Senate as the new director of the CDC. Her fault, according to the White House, was allegedly not aligning herself with the administration's health care agenda, in particular the vision promoted by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. the front man of federal health policy. Monarez refused to resign voluntarily, arguing that the dismissal was legally null and void because the law stipulates that only the president can dismiss her with specific reasons. Her resistance opened an institutional crisis, with the health agency at the centre of a political and legal tug-of-war. Several managers have resigned in protest, denouncing an unprecedented politicisation of public health. Monarez spoke of an 'ideological purge' that threatens to undermine the CDC's ability to protect the health of Americans. The decision drew bipartisan criticism in Congress, where the Health Committee announced an investigation. Many scientists expressed solidarity with the former director, recalling her expertise gained from years of service. Trump, for his part, reiterated that the CDC must 'serve the people and not the pharmaceutical lobby'. And he then put Jim O'Neill, deputy to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in Monarez's place. The news of the appointment is contained in a message from Kennedy to the CDC staff obtained by CBS, which insists on 'rebuilding this institution back to what it should always have been: guardian of America's health and safety'.