Trump Nominates Acting CDC Director to Lead Agency

Susan Monarez, who has been the acting head under the Trump administration, must be confirmed by the Senate.

Susan Monarez. CDC

President Donald Trump on March 24 nominated Susan Monarez, acting director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to lead the agency pending Senate confirmation.

In a statement on Truth Social, Trump said Monarez “brings decades of experience” to the role and “understands the importance of protecting our children, our communities, and our future.”

“Americans have lost confidence in the CDC due to political bias and disastrous mismanagement,” the president said. “Dr. Monarez will work closely with our GREAT Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert Kennedy Jr. Together, they will prioritize Accountability, High Standards, and Disease Prevention to finally address the Chronic Disease Epidemic.”

Monarez, who has been acting director of the agency since January, was previously deputy director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, a federal research funding agency within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Previously, the CDC director was appointed, but starting in 2025 the position requires Senate confirmation.

Monarez will likely face scrutiny from senators over decisions made by the agency since the Trump administration took over, including questions on delaying a meeting of vaccine advisers; CDC webpages that were taken down to comply with Trump’s executive orders to remove references to gender ideology and diversity, equity, and inclusion; and the agency’s response to a measles outbreak in Texas and New Mexico in recent weeks.

Some senators will also likely question her over Kennedy’s previous comments on vaccines and whether the agency plans to take any action on vaccines.

If confirmed, Monarez would continue to report to Kennedy as the agency’s permanent director.

The Atlanta-based CDC, with an annual budget of $17.3 billion, tracks and responds to domestic and foreign threats to public health. Roughly two-thirds of its budget funds the public health and prevention activities of state and local health agencies.

It is also responsible for making vaccine recommendations for Americans, including by setting the childhood vaccination schedule, and funding vaccines for children who otherwise would not have access to them.

Monarez would require a vote from Senate Health Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy (R-La.), a doctor who ultimately cleared the path for Kennedy’s nomination after questioning him on how he views vaccines.

It comes as the administration withdrew former Florida congressman Dave Weldon’s nomination to lead the agency earlier this month over concerns that he lacked Senate support. Weldon, a physician who has been critical of vaccines, said he had been told there were not enough votes for confirmation.

In his statement confirming the withdrawal, Weldon was critical of Cassidy and Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and said the accusations that he was anti-vaccine were false.

Weldon also wrote that the “concern of many people is that big Pharma was behind this which is probably true,” adding it is “the most powerful lobby organization in Washington D.C., giving millions of dollars to politicians on both sides of the aisle.”

Cassidy said he was not behind the withdrawal.

“I was looking forward to the hearing. I was surprised when Dr. Weldon’s nomination was withdrawn,“ Cassidy told reporters this month. ”His poor response to this situation shows that the pressures of being CDC director would have been too much.”

Reuters contributed to this report.