Cheers at rally by agency campus for department leaders who quit after CDC chief Susan Monarez was fired
Hundreds of staffers at the CDC gathered across the street from the campus on Thursday to cheer and applaud the vaccine research and public health leaders who resigned or were fired by the Trump administration in recent days.
The agency is reeling from the firing of the CDC chief, Susan Monarez, but Monarez, who was confirmed as CDC chief just a month ago, has refused to be removed. Four senior leaders – Debra Houry, Demetre Daskalakis, Daniel Jernigan and Jennifer Layden – then resigned in protest, citing the alleged spread of misinformation under the Trump administration and political interference in their work.
The agency is overseen by the US health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, who in recent days restricted the use of Covid vaccines for Americans and has removed scientific advisers and cut funding for medical research.
The staff and supporters of the CDC gathered across the street from the campus in Atlanta, and three of the officials who resigned – Houry, Daskalakis and Jernigan – were met with applause and handshakes, a marked difference from this morning when they were escorted off campus.
