President Trump decided to pick Susan Monarez as the new nominee to head the CDC, making permanent the acting role she has served at the agency. Monarez would be named in place of Dr. David Weldon, a former Florida congressman whose nomination was withdrawn by the White House due to concerns that he didn't have the votes to clear the Senate confirmation process. She has been viewed as an unconventional pick for the role because previous interim directors have come from within the CDC's career ranks. Past directors have also been medical doctors, while Monarez has a PhD. in microbiology. An acting director in the 1980s and 90s was also not a medical doctor, though he was a longtime career CDC official. "The CDC needs reform. That's why I launched a Senate Republican CDC working group. I look forward to meeting Dr. Susan Monarez and learning more about her vision for the agency," Senator Bill Cassidy, the Louisiana Republican who chairs the Senate's health committee, said in a statement. Monarez has also been involved in decisions for steep cuts to the agency's workforce expected in the coming days, which some managers expect could result in losing up to 30% of the CDC's staff. @ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/susan-monarez-cdc-director-nominee-trump/
