Just months after her confirmation, the Trump Administration moved Wednesday to remove CDC Director Susan Monarez, following her refusal to back several anti-vaccine policies advanced by Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Monarez, confirmed in late July, faced days of pressure from Kennedy, administration lawyers, and senior officials to support rolling back certain coronavirus vaccine approvals, according to two people familiar with the discussions. On Monday, Kennedy and top aide Stefanie Spear also pressed her to dismiss senior staff by the end of the week.

A veteran federal scientist before her appointment by President Trump, Monarez pushed back, insisting she could not commit to altering vaccine policy without consulting advisers. She also rejected Kennedy’s demand that she resign for “not supporting President Trump’s agenda.”

On Wednesday, HHS announced that Monarez would no longer serve as CDC Director, triggering a wave of resignations from senior officials, including the agency’s Chief Medical Officer and the head of the Infectious Disease Center.

Within hours, Monarez’s lawyers fired back, declaring she had neither resigned nor been fired, and accusing Kennedy of “weaponizing public health for political gain” and “endangering millions of American lives” by driving out career health officials.

“When CDC Director Susan Monarez refused to rubber-stamp reckless, unscientific directives or purge experienced health experts, she stood for protecting the public over serving a political agenda,” attorneys Mark S. Zaid and Abbe Lowell wrote. “For that, she is being targeted.”