As many expected, Susan Monarez, Ph.D., who served just 29 days as the first Senate-confirmed CDC director before being dismissed in August 2025, told a Senate committee today that HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. demanded she preapprove all recommendations from his newly appointed vaccine advisory panel.

“He directed me to commit in advance to approving every ACIP recommendation, regardless of the scientific evidence,” Monarez testified during her opening statement before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) committee. "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 told the committee that she couldn’t preapprove recommendations from the Advisory Committ

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