Susan Monarez said she was fired from her role as Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director because she refused to go along with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s anti-vax crusade.
Former CDC Director Susan Monarez
Testifying under oath Wednesday, Monarez said that Kennedy told her that she had to preapprove vaccine recommendations from a vaccine advisory board that he stacked with anti-vaxxers or tender her resignation.
"On the morning of Aug. 25, Secretary Kennedy demanded two things of me that were inconsistent with my oath of office and the ethics required of a public official. He directed me to commit in advance to approving every ACIP [Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices] recommendation regardless of the scientific evidence. He also directed me to dismiss career officials responsible for vaccine policy without cause. He said if I was unwilling to do both, I should resign," Monarez said in her opening statement.
The hearing was called by Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Chair Bill Cassidy. The Louisiana Republican and trained physician voted to confirm Kennedy despite his well-known anti-vax record, but he has since soured on the dangerous quack.
Cassidy questioned Monarez during the hearing, asking whether Kennedy had any science to back up the possible changes to childhood vaccination schedules that he wanted Monarez to rubber stamp.
"He did not have any data or science to point to,” Monarez said. “As a matter of fact, we got into an exchange where I had suggested I would be open to changing childhood vaccine schedules if the evidence or science were supportive. He responded that there was no science or evidence associated with the childhood vaccine schedule."
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
But Monarez wasn't the only ousted CDC official to testify at Wednesday’s hearing.
Debra Houry, former CDC chief medical officer who resigned in protest to Monarez's ouster, added that Kennedy refused briefings from actual medical experts on things like the measles outbreak, which has claimed the lives of several children.
"You know, we would have loved to have had the conversations with him. I offered to two different HHS leaders that we would like to brief the secretary," Houry said. "He never received that, and many times I would send emails to our leadership team to share with HHS when he did say things that weren’t scientifically correct, so that we could help support him. But we, again, our requests were not received to brief him."
Kennedy is notorious for being an anti-vax crusader.
Since taking the reins of HHS, Kennedy has spread dangerous misinformation and pushed for changes to vaccine recommendations that actual doctors say puts public health at risk.
A new KFF poll for the Washington Post found that 1 in 6 parents either delayed giving their child a vaccine or refused to vaccinate them altogether, increasing the risk of preventable diseases spreading.
But while anti-vaxxers are a growing faction of the country, a majority of voters—including Trump supporters—actually support vaccines.
What’s more, a new YouGov poll released Wednesday found that Kennedy is the least popular member of Trump's cabinet, with a net approval rating that’s 14 points underwater.
That means it’s possible that Trump’s embrace of Kennedy could hurt him and the GOP, helping give Democrats a leg up in the 2026 midterm elections.
