In August 2025, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., head of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), fired the agency’s previous Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director, Susan Monarez, because of conflicts over what she saw as his attacks on scientifically supported U.S. vaccine policies. She had been in the job for just 28 days. CDC, which employed 13,000 people when Trump’s second term began, has seen a large exodus of staff – some because of job cuts.

President Donald Trump 16 April, 2026 ended months of speculation and nominated Erica Schwartz, deputy surgeon general during his first administration, to head the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Schwartz has not publicly expressed antivaccine sentiments like her potential boss, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., head of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). So, she may have an easier time winning over the public health community.

Source https://www.science.org/content/article/after-long-wait-trump-nominates-cdc-director

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