My resignation letter from CDC. Dear Dr. Houry, I am writing to formally resign from my position as Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), effective August 28, 2025, close of business.   I am happy to stay on for two weeks to provide transition, if requested. This decision has not come easily, as I deeply value the work that the CDC does in safeguarding public health and am proud of my contributions to that critical mission. However, after much contemplation and reflection on recent developments and perspectives brought to light by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., I find that the views he and his staff have shared challenge my ability to continue in my current role at the agency and in the service of the health of the American people. Enough is enough. While I hold immense respect for the institution and my colleagues, I believe that it is imperative to align my professional responsibilities to my system of ethics and my understanding of the science of infectious disease, immunology, and my promise to serve the American people.  This step is necessary to ensure that I can contribute effectively in a capacity that allows me to remain true to my principles. I am unable to serve in an environment that treats CDC as a tool to generate policies and materials that do not reflect scientific reality and are designed to hurt rather than to improve the public’s health.  The recent change in the adult and children’s immunization schedule threaten the lives of the youngest Americans and pregnant people.   The data analyses that supported this decision have never been shared with CDC despite my respectful requests to HHS and other leadership.  This lack of meaningful engagement was further compounded by a “frequently asked questions” document written to support the Secretary’s directive that was circulated by HHS without input from CDC subject matter experts and that cited studies that did not support the conclusions that were attributed to these authors.  Having worked in local and national public health for years, I have never experienced such radical non-transparency, nor have I seen such unskilled manipulation of data to achieve a political end rather than the good of the American people. It is untenable to serve in an organization that is not afforded the opportunity to discuss decisions of scientific and public health importance released under the moniker of CDC.  The lack of communication by HHS and other CDC political leadership that culminates in social media posts announcing major policy changes without prior notice demonstrate a disregard of normal communication channels and common sense.  Having to retrofit analyses and policy actions to match inadequately thought-out announcements in poorly scripted videos or page long X posts should not be how organizations responsible for the health of people should function.  Some examples include the announcement of the change in the COVID-19 recommendations for children and pregnant people, the firing of scientists from ACIP by X post and an op-ed rather than direct communication with these valuable experts, the announcement of new ACIP members by X before onboarding and vetting have completed, and the release of term of reference for an ACIP workgroup that ignored all feedback from career staff at CDC. The recent term of reference for the COVID vaccine work group created by this ACIP puts people of dubious intent and more dubious scientific rigor in charge of recommending vaccine policy to a director hamstrung and sidelined by an authoritarian leader.   Their desire to please a political base will result in death and disability of vulnerable children and adults.  Their base should be the people they serve not a political voting bloc. I have always been first to challenge scientific and public health dogma in my career and was excited by the opportunity to do so again.  I was optimistic that there would be an opportunity to brief the Secretary about key topics such as measles, avian influenza, and the highly coordinated approach to the respiratory virus season.  Such briefings would allow exchange of ideas and a shared path to support the vision of “Making America Healthy Again.”  We are seven months into the new administration, and no CDC subject matter expert from my Center has ever briefed the Secretary.  I am not sure who the Secretary is listening to, but it is quite certainly not to us.  Unvetted and conflicted outside organizations seem to be the sources HHS use over the gold standard science of CDC and other reputable sources.  At a hearing, Secretary Kennedy said that Americans should not take medical advice from him.  To the contrary, an appropriately briefed and inquisitive Secretary should be a source of health information for the people he serves. As it stands now, I must agree with him, that he should not be considered a source of accurate information. The intentional eroding of trust in low-risk vaccines favoring natural infection and unproven remedies will bring us to a pre-vaccine era where only the strong will survive and many if not all will suffer.  I believe in nutrition and exercise.  I believe in making our food supply healthier, and I also believe in using vaccines to prevent death and disability.  Eugenics plays prominently in the rhetoric being generated and is derivative of a legacy that good medicine and science should continue to shun. The recent shooting at CDC is not why I am resigning.  My grandfather, who I am named after, stood up to fascist forces in Greece and lost his life doing so.  I am resigning to make him and his legacy proud.   I am resigning because of the cowardice of a leader that cannot admit that HIS and his minions’ words over decades created an environment where violence like this can occur.  I reject his and his colleagues’ thoughts and prayers, and advise they direct those to people that they have not actively harmed. For decades, I have been a trusted voice for the LGBTQ community when it comes to critical health topics.  I must also cite the recklessness of the administration in their efforts to erase transgender populations, cease critical domestic and international HIV programming, and terminate key research to support equity as part of my decision. Public health is not merely about the health of the individual, but it is about the health of the community, the nation, the world. The nation’s health security is at risk and is in the hands of people focusing on ideological self-interest. I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for the opportunities for growth, learning, and collaboration that I have been afforded during my time at the CDC. It has been a privilege to work alongside such dedicated professionals who are committed to improving the health and well-being of communities across the nation even when under attack from within both physically and psychologically. Thank you once again for the support and guidance I have received from you and previous CDC leadership throughout my tenure. I wish the CDC continued success in its vital mission and that HHS reverse its dangerous course to dismantle public health as a practice and as an institution.  If they continue the current path, they risk our personal well-being and the security of the United States. Sincerely, Demetre C. Daskalakis MD MPH (he/his/him)

If you want to protect Medicare, vote Republican. If you want a socialist experiment with Medicare, by all means vote Democrat.

John Kennedy on Republican healthcare ideas: "Bringing back high risk pools, which have been outlawed under the ACA."

Exclusive: NIH officials have advised some scientists to remove references to mRNA vaccines from their grant applications, in expectation the Trump administration intends to abandon most research in the field. By @ArthurAllen202 kffhealthnews.org/news/artic…

Lightweight Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a total flunky for Chuck Schumer and someone who would come to my office “begging” for campaign contributions not so long ago (and would do anything for them), is now in the ring fighting against Trump. Very disloyal to Bill & Crooked-USED!

We need to work together to restore confidence in the integrity of our electoral system. That's why I will introduce a bill to establish a bipartisan, blue ribbon panel to provide transparency into past election issues & recommend best practices for the states moving forward.

NEW : Am told that Demetre Daskalakis who runs the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases and played a crucial role in the Covid and monkeypox fights, has also submitted his resignation

Chuck Schumer has sent a letter to. McConnell inviting the entire Republican conference to an all-senators meeting on health care.

This almost certainly ends with some dumbfuck (or group of dumbfucks) going to jail.

The president's budget on March 11 proposed replacing the ACA with an approach modeled after the Graham-Cassidy bill, providing "relief" from "many" of the ACA's insurance rules. The original Graham-Cassidy bill allowed unlimited premiums for people with pre-existing conditions.

Patrick Morrisey's lawsuit would take away health care from people with pre-existing conditions. That's just dead wrong, and that ain't gonna happen.

Many women citing @joanwalsh as an early champion; I’m among them. She encouraged me to write from feminist perspective more than a decade ago as an editor @salon. Strange time for MSNBC to jettison someone who’s long been committed to making space for & promoting other women.

"Congratulations, the healthy people are paying for the sick people."

Marcia Fudge on Nancy Pelosi's unpopularity: "I think they see her as an elitist. And I think to some degree she is. She’s a very wealthy person, she raises a lot of money from a lot of other wealthy people.” huffingtonpost.com/entry/mar…

On Fox & Friends, Jerry Falwell Jr claims people are "overreacting" to coronavirus, the national response is "their next attempt to get Trump," and the virus itself is a North Korean bioweapon.

VP Pence jumping right for it at rally in Yuma, AZ: “I was with Martha McSally every step of the way when she fought to protect pre-existing conditions for every American. She was there. I saw it.”

RFK Jr. said tonight that Trump “has promised me” control of HHS & “its sub-agencies” as well as the Dept. Of Agriculture

Biden wins Michigan by at least 2 points, nears 270 electoral votes; Dems also buoyed by Senate victory, new majority on Supreme Court; Republicans keep control of state House (from @AP) apnews.com/46c8a10647ef59777…

NEW Harris rolling out a major policy proposal today: Having Medicare cover long-term care at home Idea is to help millions of seniors & people w/disabilities -- and their family caregivers too Announcement to come on “The View” huffpost.com/entry/kamala-ha…

Joe Biden just launched a campaign ad with Eminem’s “Lose Yourself”

Vance just said Biden-Harris policies sent manufacturing jobs overseas The facts (and this graph on manufacturing construction) tell a very different story huffpost.com/entry/2024-elec…

ACA is only failing where Rs sabotaged it by not accepting Medicaid expansion, not setting up exchanges, and eliminating risk corridors.

A little-noticed target in the House health care bill: special education nyti.ms/2pzatGQ

All Republicans support people with pre-existing conditions, and if they don’t, they will after I speak to them. I am in total support. Also, Democrats will destroy your Medicare, and I will keep it healthy and well!

Donald Trump is destroying Obamacare from within. And Michigan is a case study thedailybeast.com/donald-tru… w/ @GideonResnick

Unhappy GOP senators complain about voting on ObamaCare repeal bill they don't know details of: hill.cm/JX55Oal

Sorry for yelling guys. BUT IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS S@#%SHOW THEY ARE STILL TRYING TO TAKE AWAY YOUR HEALTHCARE AND RUIN THE INTERNET.