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By Rob McGreevy
We’re just eight months into 2025 – and it’s already been the most turbulent year in the history of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). After Covid, that’s saying something.
The CDC is one of the many federal health agencies under the umbrella of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), now led by perhaps the most controversial secretary in its history, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The Senate confirmed Kennedy Jr. as HHS Secretary on February 13; two days later, the Trump Administration fired hundreds of CDC staff.
While many of the workers were later reinstated, the firings set the tone for what has so far been a wildly contentious relationship between the old health guard and RFK Jr.’s new wave of populist health policy.
The February firings were just the beginning: In April, the CDC let go of another 2,400 employees – nearly 20% of its staff. But again, hundreds were rehired.
Amidst the layoff chaos, the agency was consistently without a head. Trump withdrew his original pick to lead the CDC – RFK Jr.’s fellow vaccine skeptic Dave Weldon – in March. Despite a 53-49 GOP lead in the Senate, Trump told reporters he didn’t have the votes to confirm Weldon. In his stead, he nominated Susan Monarez.
Monarez is a veteran of government agencies that sit at the crossroads of health and technology, having served stints at the Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority. Her expertise in biometrics and vaccine development likely eased the concerns of senators like Bill Cassidy (R-LA), a physician who grilled RFK Jr. hard over his vaccine positions during his confirmation process (but ultimately voted yes on him).
RFK Jr. swore in Monarez as CDC Director on July 31. But last week, less than a month later, he fired her – triggering perhaps the most intense turmoil at the CDC yet.
In the rest of today’s deep-dive, we look at the soap opera-esque drama surrounding Monarez’s departure – and the many resignations that have followed – to understand what is really happening at the CDC.
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Editor’s Note
Thank you all for reading. Are you supportive of RFK Jr.’s CDC shakeup? Alarmed by it? Let us know by replying to this email. We’re excited to hear your thoughts on this one.
Also, tons of replies to yesterday’s (free!) email on Gen Z’s sobriety boom. We loved reading these. Keep the takes coming.
Roberto from New York wrote:
What I don’t understand is why there is any debate to this at all. Alcohol consumption damages the human body. That’s science and it’s not a new discovery by any means. So I agree, the Gen Z trend toward sobriety is a very good thing. Sobriety means whatever a Gen Z’er does they’re doing in their right mind. Are they meeting less people? Maybe, they definitely aren’t meeting them in nasty bars with sticky floors. Are they having less sex? Maybe, or maybe they’re having less drunk sex involving questionable consent. I did my share of drinking in college, most of it out of peer pressure, and it wasn’t really fun. I hate social gatherings where everyone is drunk. The alcohol culture in the US is a major issue. This is just another example of ways Gen Z and beyond are changing the culture around them and it’s exactly what younger generations are supposed to do! Change makes people uncomfortable, especially when there’s a huge industry surrounding convincing people drinking is sexy. So I won’t be criticizing Gen Z for making healthy choices, that’s just stupid.
Josh wrote:
As an older person (54) from Gen X, drinking was a part of our DNA. Was this right or wrong? Who knows, but what I do know is that our generation has tighter social bonds, and we still enjoy the occasional party or happy hour after work.
If the Gen Z kids were going out and having “mock-tails” that might be one thing, but they ain’t. They are at home, staring at the phone or computer completely oblivious to world around them including socialization! Get out and make some face to face friends for God’s sake. Now I sound like get off my lawn guy. It’s true though, talk about a social contagion, isolation is one. Maybe the absence of alcohol can be a positive but from the dawn of civilization humans have used alcohol in rituals and celebrations. There is nothing wrong with a drink every now and then. Myself I might have two pours of rye or tequila on a given week. But we are talking about 4 oz. Not a huge amount, of course I might have a little more at a party or wedding but who wouldn’t? The main issue is not only drinking down, but so is sex, happiness, joy and motivation. Remember the slogan “kill your television”? How about kill your smartphone!!
E from Massachusetts wrote:
Can we discuss this without addressing the legalization of marajana? Here in MA I see the pot stores very full... Pot tends to make people less social and can be very addictive also. Cell phone use is definitely a factor. Good article!
And Ray (whose dissent on Trump normalization you may remember from a few weeks back) wrote:
Your favorite commenter here again! As a member of the 6% with alcohol use disorder (thankfully alcohol-free for almost 3 years, which saved my life) you can probably guess what side of this debate I’m on. But that’s not why I’m responding. I’m responding to say that this is another example of where two things can be true and it shouldn’t be a binary debate. YES - given the demonstrated negative repercussions and risks associated with alcohol use, it’s a good thing to see alcohol use decline - America’s physical health (and deaths from DUI, alcohol-fueled assaults etc) will improve. And YES - the phones are a massive, massive mental health problem for Gen Z - I see it in both my 20-something kids. But going back to drinking culture won’t fix the phone addiction. Statistically speaking, people are ascribing causality where it doesn’t exist - the two are collinear at best.
That’s all for today. If you want more to read, find it below. We’ll see you tomorrow!
–Max and Max
