FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 28, 2025
CONTACT:
Aaron Bharucha, Public Relations Associate
(509) 429-1699 and epn-press@environmentalprotectionnetwork.org
Trump Administration Escalates Its War on Science by Firing CDC Director
“America no longer has a public health system that we can depend on”
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Yesterday, the White House fired Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Susan Monarez, sparking an exodus of the CDC’s top doctors. Monarez, who was appointed by President Trump, was confirmed by the Senate with strong Republican support. According to her lawyers, Monarez “refused to rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives.”
Monarez’ firing mirrors similar moves at EPA, where Administrator Lee Zeldin has shut down EPA’s main science office, driven hundreds of scientists out of the agency, and purged EPA’s science advisory boards, endangering the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat.
“The Trump administration is waging a war on science and repeatedly putting politics ahead of our health,” said Jennifer Orme-Zavaleta, the former Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Research and Development and a member of the Environmental Protection Network’s Board of Directors. “Just like what has happened at EPA, the scientific purge at CDC is a dangerous inquisition that removes anyone who questions reckless and debunked ideology.”
“This is a public health crisis that impacts all of us,” added Dr. Orme-Zavaleta. “America no longer has a public health system that we can depend on to protect our health.”
Jennifer Orme Zavaleta is the former Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Research and Development and is available to speak with the media.
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