As a rule, the Republican-led Senate serves as a rubber-stamp for Donald Trump’s nominees, no matter how controversial they are, but there are occasional exceptions. When the president tapped former Republican Rep. Dave Weldon of Florida to serve as the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, his nomination was deemed too outlandish, even for GOP senators.
In March, just hours before Weldon was set to testify at his Senate confirmation hearing, the White House pulled the plug and ended the fiasco.
Trump’s second choice was Susan Monarez, who had greater success: Late last month, Senate Republicans ignored Democratic concerns and confirmed her as the new CDC chief, making her the first CDC director without a medical degree in more than 70 years.
Monarez’s tenure, however, was extraordinarily brief. The Washington Post was first to report:
Susan Monarez, the newly installed director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is being ousted weeks after she was confirmed to lead the public health agency, according to multiple administration officials familiar with the matter. … Monarez had scheduled an agencywide call Monday, but that was canceled Friday, according to several CDC employees who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters.
The reasoning behind her ouster is not yet clear.
Earlier this month, when the White House ousted former Republican Rep. Billy Long as the IRS commissioner after just 53 days on the job, the brevity of his tenure seemed almost amusing. Monarez, however, didn’t even last that long: She was only confirmed 27 days ago — or in the parlance, not quite three Scaramuccis.
While these new developments are still unfolding, Monarez’s departure comes just weeks after a gunman opened fire in Atlanta near the CDC campus, killing a police officer and leaving CDC officials terrified and frustrated with their leaders, including Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
It also comes at a difficult time for the CDC in general, with the agency recently having curtailed some of its important work, coupled with RFK Jr. undermining the CDC by, among other things, ousting the members of the CDC’s independent vaccine advisory committee.
The Post also reported in April on a series of mass layoffs at the CDC, which included cuts to “lifesaving health programs.”
The agency has also struggled with several high-profile resignations, including pediatric infectious disease expert Dr. Lakshmi Panagiotakopoulos, who stepped down two months ago.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
