After months weathering staffing cuts and disease outbreaks without an official leader, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finally has a new director.
The Senate confirmed Susan Monarez, a health scientist and longtime civil servant, to run the public health agency. She is the first CDC director to be confirmed by the Senate under a law passed in 2023, and the first to serve in the role without a medical degree in more than 70 years. The vote was 51-47, along party lines.
Monarez takes over an agency in chaos, according to employees who have spoken to NPR. Thousands of workers have left in recent months and support for many programs has been cut. President Trump has proposed slashing CDC's funding for fiscal year 2026.
"We really need her in this role," says Jennifer Nuzzo, director of the Pandemic Center at the Brown University School of Public Health, who has known Monarez professionally for more than a decade. "She's a loyal, hardworking civil servant who leads with evidence and pragmatism, and has been dedicated to improving the health of Americans for the entirety of her career."
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