U.S. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine on Thursday said she is "alarmed" by the sudden termination of U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Susan Monarez.
"I know her. I have met with her several times and talked with her on the phone and I see no basis for her firing," Collins told reporters in Old Orchard Beach following a speech at the Maine Sheriff's Association breakfast meeting.
Monarez was in her position less than a month before she was ousted by the White House. Her attorneys said she refused to rubber stamp directives and fire health experts.
A White House spokesperson said that the director was not aligned with President Donald Trump's agenda.
Collins said it was "highly significant" that the ouster of Monarez immediately led to the resignation of at least four high-ranking CDC leaders.
The agency lost "top officials who have served at the CDC for decades in some cases for many different administrations, they are world-renowned for their expertise," Collins said.
Collins voted to confirm Monarez as CDC director last month. Monarez was reportedly forced out of her position after clashing with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over vaccine policy.
"She's been on the job for only three weeks and I am very concerned and alarmed by this removal," Collins said.
Kennedy, a well-known vaccine skeptic, was confirmed by Collins and fellow Republicans earlier this year.
Rep. Chellie Pingree, a Democrat representing Maine's 1st Congressional District, said in a statement that the chaos and turmoil at the CDC should alarm every American.
"On Secretary Kennedy's watch, the CDC has purged hundreds of respected health experts, undermined public trust in vaccines, jeopardized our preparedness for the next pandemic and weakened America's standing as a global leader in disease research," Pingree said.
Independent Sen. Angus King of Maine was unavailable for an interview, but in a February speech said Kennedy was grossly unqualified to lead the health and human services department and a "danger" to public health.
A representative for Rep. Jared Golden a Democrat from Maine's 2nd District, did not respond to a request for comment about the CDC director.
Maine Public Health Association Associate Director Matt Wellington says forcing out health experts like Monarez turns the agency into a "misinformation circus."
Wellington says public health professionals' concerns that Kennedy would weaken the agency's scientific integrity are playing out in real time. He says the dismantling of the U.S. CDC affects the health of all Mainers.
"We won’t be able to access needed federal funding for drinking water safety, infectious disease response, and several other initiatives," Wellington says in a written release. "At a time when tickborne illnesses are on the rise in Maine and there is still a measles outbreak across the country, we need to be assured that CDC remains nonpartisan and science-based.”
