Statement by NACCHO Chief Executive Officer Lori Tremmel Freeman
Washington, DC, August 28, 2025 – The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), the voice of the over 3,300 local health departments across the country, is deeply concerned about the removal of U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Susan Monarez only weeks after being sworn in as the President’s choice to lead the agency. With her, go four senior leaders whose expertise has literally been lifesaving by supporting local health departments to address emerging and infectious diseases like zika and West Nile, leading the effort to improve public health data so that we can be efficient and effective in our work, saving lives from overdose, and preventing and responding to outbreaks and diseases like measles. Notably, many of these experts worked in local health departments early in their careers, so they were champions to ensure that public health efforts are grounded in the reality of our unique communities.
In the 79-year history of the agency, no CDC Director has been removed from the office in such a short period of time. This massive loss of leadership, coupled with the hundreds of staff who have been terminated from the agency over the past few months, represent a dangerous gap in our nation’s health security infrastructure. This action—less than two weeks after the horrific attack at the CDC in Atlanta where one brave police officer sacrificed his life and agency staff are still coping with real trauma from the violence—further erodes the stability of this critical institution. The loss of the Director and senior staff in key center divisions means that the CDC is now far less able to ensure connectivity, funding, resources, guidance, educational materials, updates, and a myriad of other important resources to local health departments. The removal of this agency’s leadership amplifies the brutality of impacts in recent weeks.
The events of last night add more concern and uncertainty to those of us who dedicate our lives to the health and well-being of American communities throughout the nation. We all understand that trust in public health needs to be restored with many across the country. The quick removal of the President’s CDC director and key career leaders at the agency has done the opposite. These departures are a major loss, and they do not support President Trump’s stated goals of making America healthier.
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About NACCHO
The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) represents the over 3,300 local governmental health departments across the country. These city, county, metropolitan, district, and tribal departments work every day to protect and promote health and well-being for all people in their communities. For more information about NACCHO, please visit www.naccho.org.
