Republicans Join Criticism Over Sacking of Medical Official

The Trump administration is facing rare bipartisan pushback for sacking the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), amid turmoil at the US's top infectious disease agency that prompted dozens of staff to walk out of its headquarters in protest on Thursday.

- Oliver Milman

The White House said Susan Monarez, who was confirmed as director of the CDC just a month ago, had been sacked as she was "not aligned with the president's agenda" - only for Monarez to refuse to depart. The official's lawyers have said that because she is a Senate-confirmed appointee, only Donald Trump himself can remove her.

Monarez was reportedly fired by Robert F Kennedy Jr, the US health secretary, for refusing to remove agency officials and commit to restricting proven vaccines.

Kennedy has long spread misinformation about immunizations and this week placed new restrictions on who can get Covid vaccines.

This stance, along with concerns about budget cuts and political interference with the work of the CDC, prompted the resignation of four top agency leaders. On Thursday, dozens of CDC staff walked out of their Atlanta headquarters in support of Monarez and the other departed leaders.