The White House has appointed Jim O’Neill, deputy to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., as acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), replacing Susan Monarez less than a month into her tenure. Monarez’s removal was announced by the Department of Health and Human Services on August 27 without specifying if she resigned or was dismissed, and her legal team is contesting the decision. The leadership changes follow controversy over Kennedy’s health policies, which have drawn bipartisan criticism and calls for congressional oversight. Following Monarez’s departure, three senior CDC officials resigned, citing efforts by Monarez to protect the agency from political interference. O’Neill, a former Bush-era official and Silicon Valley investor confirmed by the Senate in June, will continue as HHS deputy secretary while leading the CDC. He has publicly supported vaccines but criticized the CDC’s pandemic data handling and communication. (Updated 29 Aug 2025, 05:14 IST; source: link)