On Monday, President Trump announced the nomination of Susan Monarez, the acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to lead the agency permanently. Trump pulled his first nominee, Dr. Dave Weldon, just a few hours before his confirmation hearing.
“If confirmed by the Senate, Dr. Monarez, an infectious-disease researcher, will be the first nonphysician to lead the agency in more than 50 years,” New York Times reporters Apoorva Mandavilli and Sheryl Gay Stolberg wrote on March 24.
Newsweek's Gabe Whisnant and Adeola Adeosun reported that Monarez has held several positions within the U.S. government. She served as deputy director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) and has also held roles at the Department of Homeland Security and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
Whisnant and Adeosun explained that this nomination is notable, as Monarez would be the first CDC director to require Senate confirmation following a law change in 2022. “Previous directors could assume leadership immediately after presidential appointment without this process.”
In a social media post on Truth Social, Trump said Monarez will work closely with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who leads the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
