Nomination of Susan Monarez for CDC Director Advances to Full Senate

(photo courtesy ARPA-H) On July 9, 2025, the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) voted 12 to 11 to advance the nomination of Susan Monarez to be director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Monarez, who holds a doctorate degree in microbiology and immunology and has been serving as acting director of the CDC since January, was named as the nominee for the top CDC post by the Trump administration in March.^{1 2 3}

Monarez “Well-Aligned” to Lead CDC

A career scientist, Monarez served as deputy director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (DHHS) Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health. She worked in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and on the National Security Council where she led initiatives to improve the use of technology in health care, including to “combat antimicrobial resistance, protect health data privacy and improve pandemic preparedness.”^{4 5 6}

According to Jordan Miller, PhD, professor of public health at Arizona State University, Monarez has “robust research experience, as well as administrative and leadership bona fides within the federal government” and her “qualifications are well-aligned with the requirements of the director role.”⁶ Dr. Miller adds:

In the past, she has explored artificial intelligence and machine learning for population health. Her research has examined the intersection between technology and health and antimicrobial resistance, and she has led initiatives to expand access to behavioral and mental health care, reduce health disparities in maternal health, quell the opioid epidemic and improve biodefense and pandemic preparedness.⁶

Dr. Monarez said, “If I’m confirmed as CDC director, I look forward to supporting the secretary with science and evidence and making sure that I am giving him the best information possible to help support some of these critical decisions.”⁷

First Nominee for CDC Director to Need Senate Confirmation

If confirmed, Monarez would be the first CDC director to go through a Senate confirmation process. As part of the omnibus budget bill (H.R. 2617) passed in June 2023, Congress included a provision stating that the CDC director “shall be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate” and that the provision would take effect on Jan. 20, 2025. Prior to this legislation, CDC directors were simply appointed by the President.⁸

The change was spurred by a perceived need within Congress to reform the CDC and make it more transparent and accountable following public concerns about the agency’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. “The Administrative State has gone unchecked for too long, and unelected bureaucrats have far too much power over the lives of Americans—the CDC is the epitome of that unchecked power, said Senator Eric Schmitt of Missouri. “We need structural reform.”^{9 10}

A final vote by the full Senate on Monarez’s nomination is expected in the next few weeks. Nominees require only a majority vote to be confirmed by the Senate, which is currently controlled by the Republican Party. Monarez is expected to be approved primarily along party lines.¹¹

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