ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Continuous turmoil at the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control led some Georgia lawmakers to meet with current and former top-level scientists.

On Tuesday, several state leaders discussed recent changes and events at the CDC.

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It has been a time of uncertainty for those who work at the CDC, with recent cuts and resignations, and dealing with the emotional aftermath of a deadly shooting on the campus.

The CDC’s former director and longtime government scientist, Susan Monarez, was fired by the Trump administration. Her attorneys say she refused to “rubber stand unscientific, reckless directives and fire dedicated health experts.”

Deputy Health and Human Services Secretary Jim O’Neill is taking the reins for now. He has no training in medicine or healthcare, but holds degrees in the humanities. He’s previously worked at HHS, serving for six years under President George W. Bush.

Several top-level scientists resigned in protest recently, including Dr. Dan Jernigan, former director of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, and Dr. Deb Houry, former chief medical officer of the CDC.

Houry was tapped to lead the transition between the Biden administration and the Trump administration.

She spoke during a Tuesday morning roundtable at the Georgia Capitol, telling the group she resigned to tell the American people what is happening inside the CDC.

“Change happens every administration. We’re used to that. We were ready for that. I think what I was not ready for was to have decisions made not based on science and data, and had recommendations done based on opinion, and those were things I could not stand behind,” she said.

Houry said she also could not stand behind the firing of thousands of employees and was disheartened by the reorganization of the agency and the budget.

“I thought I could no longer fight on the inside, but I had to use my voice on the outside,” she said.

The group also talked about safety, following a shooting last month that left hundreds of bullet holes in the CDC’s buildings and left DeKalb County Police Officer David Rose dead.

The gunman expressed discontent with the agency and the COVID-19 vaccine.

On Thursday, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will go before the Senate Finance Committee to talk about his health care agenda after the recent changes.

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