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Former CDC Director Testifies Before Senate, Alleges Pressure from Kennedy
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In dramatic Senate testimony Wednesday, former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Susan Monarez defended her brief tenure, alleging she was ousted for resisting Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s demands regarding vaccine recommendations.
Monarez testified before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, claiming Kennedy pressured her to pre-approve vaccine recommendations and dismiss career scientists. “He just wanted blanket approval,” Monarez stated, adding, “Even under pressure, I could not replace evidence with ideology.”
She detailed a tense meeting where Kennedy allegedly informed her the childhood vaccine schedule would change in September and she “needed to be on board.” Monarez recounted Kennedy’s alleged disparaging remarks about the CDC and its employees, claiming he called the agency “the most corrupt federal agency in the world” and accused its employees of “killing children.”
The hearing also featured testimony from the CDC’s former chief medical officer, Dr. Deb Houry, who resigned alongside other officials last month. Houry stated her resignation was prompted by Kennedy’s actions, which she felt “censored CDC science, politicized our processes, and stripped agency leaders of the ability to protect the health of the American people.”
Monarez’s testimony directly contradicted Kennedy’s previous claims that she was fired because she was not “trustworthy.” She described a conversation where she told Kennedy, “If he could not trust me, he could fire me.” Kennedy, in earlier testimony, claimed he asked Monarez if she was trustworthy, to which she replied, “No.”
The hearing grew heated at times, with some Republican senators questioning Monarez’s decision to hire lawyers who had represented clients who sued former President Trump. Sen.
Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) accused Monarez of dishonesty, mistakenly claiming their conversation with Kennedy had been recorded. Committee Chair Sen.
Bill Cassidy (R-La.) insisted on “radical transparency” and demanded any recording be entered into the record.
Other Republicans, like Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), expressed concern about the implications for public trust in institutions.
Meanwhile, some Democrats who initially opposed Monarez’s nomination, such as Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), offered apologies, admitting they had misjudged her.
The hearing comes as the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee is set to meet Thursday to discuss the vaccine schedule for hepatitis B, MMRV, and COVID-19. Kennedy recently restructured the committee, appointing several members critical of vaccines. Monarez testified that Kennedy requested she meet with vaccine lawsuit attorney Aaron Siri, who has called for revoking the polio vaccine’s approval.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services responded to the testimony, stating Monarez “refused” to restore the CDC to its core mission and blamed “decades of bureaucratic inertia, politicized science, and mission creep.” The spokesperson maintained any changes to the childhood vaccine schedule will be based on scientific recommendations.
Sen. Cassidy closed the hearing with a staunch defense of current hepatitis B vaccine recommendations for infants.