In a highly anticipated Senate hearing this Wednesday, Susan Monarez, the former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is set to deliver explosive testimony. Her appearance comes after her contentious ousting by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. following a heated disagreement over vaccine policy. The hearing is expected to serve as a crucial public examination of Mr. Kennedy’s leadership and his vision for the nation’s premier public health institution.
Dr. Monarez won’t be alone in her testimony. She will be joined by Dr. Deb Houry, the CDC’s former chief medical officer. Dr. Houry was among three senior agency officials who resigned, citing an inability to continue working under Secretary Kennedy’s direction.
This week’s proceedings are poised to unveil a turbulent period within the CDC, an institution that has long drawn criticism from Mr. Kennedy. During a previous Senate appearance, he staunchly defended his overhaul of the agency, asserting, “We are the sickest country in the world. That’s why we have to fire people at CDC. They did not do their job. This was their job to keep us healthy.”
In their prepared remarks, both Dr. Monarez and Dr. Houry are expected to accuse Secretary Kennedy of actively neglecting scientific consensus and, in so doing, jeopardizing the health of American citizens.
Significantly, this hearing precedes a critical two-day meeting of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). This expert panel lies at the core of Dr. Monarez’s dispute with Mr. Kennedy. Earlier in the year, Mr. Kennedy controversially dismissed all 17 of ACIP’s members, replacing them with individuals known to share his skepticism regarding vaccines.
Dr. Monarez’s testimony details her dismissal, stating she was fired for “holding the line on scientific integrity.” She claims she resisted Mr. Kennedy’s directives to terminate senior CDC vaccine officials and to unconditionally endorse the recommendations from the newly formed immunization advisory committee.
Monarez recounted telling Kennedy that if he couldn’t trust her, he should fire her. Dr. Houry corroborated the atmosphere of distrust, alleging that Mr. Kennedy “repeatedly censored CDC science, politicized our processes, and stripped agency leaders of the ability to protect the health of the American people.”
Andrew Nixon, a spokesperson for Mr. Kennedy, challenged these accusations. He asserted that Dr. Monarez was dismissed for “maliciously undermining the president’s agenda” and emphasized that the Health Secretary is committed to “restoring public trust in the CDC by ensuring transparency, accountability, and diverse scientific input.”
During his defense of the CDC shake-up at a prior Senate hearing, Mr. Kennedy stated that he removed Dr. Monarez after she responded “no” when directly asked if she considered herself “a trustworthy person.”
The hearing will also draw attention to Senator Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican and chairman of the Senate health committee. Senator Cassidy has recently taken a more assertive stance in questioning Mr. Kennedy’s vaccine policies, even as he navigates a challenging primary race in his home state.
A distinguished infectious disease researcher and veteran government scientist, Dr. Monarez was President Trump’s second choice to lead the CDC. His initial nominee, Dr. David Weldon—a former Florida congressman and long-standing critic of the agency, much like Mr. Kennedy—had his nomination abruptly withdrawn by the White House when it became clear that Senate Republicans couldn’t secure enough votes for his confirmation.
Dr. Monarez served as acting CDC director at the beginning of the Trump administration. Upon her nomination for the permanent role, Mr. Kennedy had previously lauded her, acknowledging her “impeccable scientific credentials.”
Her dismissal, which occurred less than a month after her Senate confirmation, sent shockwaves through the public health community and Washington political circles. The move also sparked criticism of Mr. Kennedy on Capitol Hill, notably from two of Senator Cassidy’s Republican peers: Senators Thom Tillis of North Carolina and John Barrasso of Wyoming.
According to Dr. Monarez’s prepared testimony, her relationship with Mr. Kennedy deteriorated rapidly, beginning just days after her Senate confirmation on July 29.
She recalled learning from news reports on August 2 that key liaison experts, including those representing major medical societies, had been removed from the vaccine advisory committee’s working groups. This development was quickly followed by concerns that the panel might propose changes to the childhood vaccine schedule at its upcoming meeting, “potentially without credible supporting data.” This crucial two-day meeting is scheduled for this Thursday and Friday in Atlanta.
Adding to the chaos, on August 8, a tragic shooting occurred at the CDC headquarters in Atlanta, resulting in the death of a police officer. Later, on August 19, Dr. Monarez stated that she received a directive from Mr. Kennedy’s office, requiring her to seek approval from presidential political appointees for all policy and personnel decisions.
Just two days after this directive, she was ordered to return to Washington from Atlanta immediately, an instruction that would have forced her to miss the memorial for the fallen police officer. Dr. Monarez steadfastly refused, deeming it “something I was not willing to do.”
Back in Washington on the morning of August 25, Dr. Monarez alleges that Mr. Kennedy demanded her upfront commitment to approve every recommendation from the advisory panel, “regardless of the scientific evidence.” Furthermore, he allegedly instructed her to “dismiss career officials responsible for vaccine policy without cause.”
Her refusal to comply ultimately led to her termination. Two days later, the White House publicly announced her dismissal.