Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Fires CDC Director: What Is Susan Monarez’s Political Party?

Mere weeks after a gunman opened fire at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) campus, CDC Director Susan Monarez has been fired from her role by Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The active shooter incident on the CDC campus occurred just days after Monarez's swearing-in ceremony on July 31, which underscores just how chaotic the last few weeks have been at the CDC — as well as the last several months at HHS.

Having been hailed as an admirable leader by Secretary Kennedy just weeks before her ouster, many are wondering if Monarez's political party affiliation played a role in her firing. Was Monarez's reported reluctance to follow through on certain orders from Secretary Kennedy and President Donald Trump also to blame?

Below, we explore the political motives, ramifications, and fallout of Monarez's firing. Keep reading to learn more about Monarez's rollercoaster month as CDC director.

It has not been reported what Monarez's political party is, but it is certainly known that Monarez ideologically clashed with Secretary Kennedy and President Trump.

"Monarez — who has only been in the job for a month — refused 'to rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives' and accused Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr of 'weaponising public health', according to her lawyers," per the BBC.

Indeed, White House officials said in a statement, "The reason for her removal was that she was 'not aligned with the president's agenda,'" per the BBC.

In response, Monarez's lawyers claimed that she chose serving the needs of public health over any particular political party.

"On Wednesday, Dr Monarez's lawyers issued a statement saying that she had chosen 'protecting the public over serving a political agenda,'" per the BBC.

According to the Congress.gov website, Monarez was "Confirmed by the Senate by Yea-Nay Vote, 51 - 47." Her confirmation underscores just how divided Congress was on her appointment, which might have portended the troublesome nature of her forthcoming tenure as director of the CDC.

As The New York Times reported in July, Monarez's hiring itself was not without controversy. She was not President Trump's first pick for the role to begin with — that distinction belonged to former Republican congressman Dave Weldon — but was nevertheless appointed after President Trump withdrew his nomination for Weldon.

Now, less than a month after Monarez was hired, she has been removed from her role as director of the CDC by Secretary Kennedy.

"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. [Secretary Kennedy] has full confidence in his team at [the CDC], who will continue to be vigilant in protecting Americans against infectious diseases at home and abroad," reads an Aug. 27 Tweet from the official HHS X account.

"On Thursday, Kennedy told Fox News that the CDC leadership 'needs to execute Trump's agenda.' The CDC, he added, '[is] in trouble, needs to be fixed,'" per the BBC.

Now, with Monarez's lawyers fighting for her to stay in her position, and a nasty back-and-forth with White House officials and Monarez's lawyers playing out in the media, only time will tell what comes next.