The Trump administration’s move to oust Susan Monarez, the leader of the US top public health agency, who was sworn in less than a month ago, plunged the institution into chaos on Wednesday, after her lawyers stated she would not resign and that she was being “targeted” for her pro-science stance.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a statement on Wednesday evening announcing the ouster of CDC Director Susan Monarez, an action for which it offered no explanation.

“Susan Monarez is no longer director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We thank her for her dedicated service to the American people,” the HHS stated in a post on social media.

Her lawyers, Mark Zaid and Abbe David Lowell, told the Associated Press on Wednesday evening that she had neither resigned nor been told she was fired. “First it was independent advisory committees and career experts. Then it was the dismissal of seasoned scientists. Now, Secretary Kennedy and HHS have set their sights on weaponizing public health for political gain and putting millions of American lives at risk,” the two lawyers said in a statement.

"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. For that, she has been targeted," they added.

The White House Deputy Press Secretary, Kush Desai, doubled down on Monarez's removal in a statement to the press, asserting that since Monarez had refused to resign despite having previously informed HHS leadership of her intent to do so, the White House had therefore terminated her from her position with the CDC.

Monarez's termination sparks flurry of resignations

The ouster of the HHS Chief has sparked a series of resignations in the agency, after at least three other CDC chiefs publicly resigned. 

According to the industry newsletter Inside Medicine, which obtained the full statements, the most explosive resignation letter came from Dr. Demetre Daskalakis upon his stepping down as the director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.

“I am not able to serve in this role any longer because of the ongoing weaponizing of public health. You are the best team I have ever worked with, and you continue to shine despite this dark cloud over the agency and our profession,” Dr. Daskalakis stated, adding, “Please take care of yourself and your teams and make the right decisions for yourselves.”

Another departing CDC leader, Dr. Deb Houry, the chief medical officer, echoed those concerns in a statement that the science at CDC should never be censored or subject to political pauses or interpretations, writing that this was necessary "for the good of the nation and the world."

Daniel Jernigan, the former director of the Center for Emerging Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, has also resigned from the agency.