Sudden Exit of CDC Deputy Director Fuels Media Speculation
During the COVID crisis, Dr. Ralph Abraham was an early vocal advocate for hydroxychloroquine. He was also a fierce critic of vaccine and mask mandates.
This article originally appeared on The Defender and was republished with permission.
Guest post by Brenda Baletti, Ph.D.
A statement posted on the CDC’s website said that Dr. Ralph Abraham “chose to step down to address unforeseen family obligations,” effective immediately. Media reports speculated, without providing evidence, that Abraham’s exit was part of a “shakeup.”
Dr. Ralph Abraham has resigned as principal deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the agency announced Monday.
A statement posted on the CDC’s website said that Abraham “chose to step down to address unforeseen family obligations,” effective immediately.
The former surgeon general of Louisiana took office in December 2025.
“It has been an honor to serve alongside the dedicated public health professionals at the CDC and to support the agency’s critical mission,” Abraham said in a statement.
The announcement comes amid a series of high-profile departures from the agency. Acting CDC Director Jim O’Neill, who replaced ousted CDC Director Susan Monarez, also left HHS last week.
President Donald Trump reportedly plans to nominate O’Neill to head up the National Science Foundation.
Politico reported that both O’Neill and HHS General Counsel Mike Stuart were moving to different positions in the Trump administration as part of a “shakeup” of HHS leadership.
The New York Times speculated that these, along with Abraham’s departure, show that the Trump administration is pivoting away from U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s agenda.
But vaccine researcher James Lyons-Weiler, Ph.D., said legacy media is just “desperately chomping at the bit for any opportunity to make that appear to be true.”
“Most of us can relate to having an unanticipated or unexpected family emergency, as Dr. Abraham reported. Taking him at face value is probably the safest bet,” Lyons-Weiler added.
Abraham was a veterinarian and physician who won a Louisiana congressional seat in 2015. He held that position until 2021.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Abraham was an early vocal advocate for treatments such as hydroxychloroquine. He was also a fierce critic of the COVID-19-era vaccine and mask mandates.
He was appointed Louisiana surgeon general in 2024. In February 2025, he directed the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) to stop its promotion of mass vaccination campaigns, CNN reported.
“The State of Louisiana and LDH have historically promoted vaccines for vaccine preventable illnesses through our parish health units, community health fairs, partnerships and media campaigns,” Abraham wrote in a memo to LDH staff. “While we encourage each patient to discuss the risks and benefits of vaccination with their provider, LDH will no longer promote mass vaccination.”
Jill Hines, co-director of Health Freedom Louisiana, praised Abraham’s work.
“Dr. Abraham is a defender of health freedom and we truly admire the efforts he made at the state and federal level. He was instrumental in bringing common sense back to public health in Louisiana,” she said.
While serving as principal deputy director of the CDC, Abraham published a letter in The Wall Street Journal arguing that the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine doesn’t guarantee immunity against measles.
He wrote the letter following an agency report showing that some of the people infected during an outbreak of the disease in Colorado last year had been vaccinated.
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