Former CDC Chief Susan Monarez Set to Testify on Vaccine Dispute

Former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Susan Monarez is poised to testify on March 15, 2024, regarding her dismissal by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.. Monarez claims she was fired after she declined to endorse new vaccine recommendations without reviewing the necessary scientific evidence. Her testimony will take place before the Senate health committee, just weeks after she assumed her position.

Monarez’s planned testimony, obtained by the Associated Press, outlines a tense ultimatum from Kennedy. She asserts that he demanded she “preapprove” vaccine recommendations from a controversial advisory panel at the CDC, which includes members who have expressed doubts about vaccine safety. This panel is scheduled to vote on new recommendations following her testimony.

In her statement, Monarez plans to emphasize her commitment to scientific integrity, asserting, “Even under pressure, I could not replace evidence with ideology or compromise my integrity.” She intends to convey that her firing was a direct result of her insistence on grounding vaccine policy in credible data rather than predetermined outcomes. Monarez will also allege that Kennedy instructed her to remove several high-ranking CDC officials without justification.

The Senate hearing will scrutinize the implications of the current turmoil at the CDC, an agency vital for public health and vaccine recommendations. It is expected to serve as a platform for Monarez and former Chief Medical Officer Debra Houry, who will also testify, to address various claims made by Kennedy regarding their final days at the agency.

Kennedy has denied Monarez’s allegations, characterizing her as untrustworthy. Nonetheless, he acknowledged during a Senate hearing earlier this month that he directed the dismissal of multiple senior officials at the CDC.

The hearing comes just before a key two-day session in Atlanta, where the advisory panel will discuss vaccine recommendations for COVID-19, hepatitis B, and chickenpox. The panel’s deliberations will be significant, particularly as some members have expressed skepticism regarding the necessity of hepatitis B shots for newborns and suggested that COVID-19 vaccine recommendations should be more stringent. The final endorsement of these recommendations will fall to the CDC director, currently acting under Jim O’Neill.

As Monarez and Houry prepare for potentially challenging inquiries from Republican committee members regarding CDC vaccine policies, they may also face questions from Democrats about Kennedy’s handling of vaccine recommendations. The hearing is set to be overseen by Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, a physician who previously supported Kennedy’s confirmation. Cassidy has voiced concern over “serious allegations” within the CDC and has called for increased oversight, although he has refrained from directly attributing blame to Kennedy.

This upcoming testimony and the ensuing Senate hearing are critical moments for the CDC, an agency that plays a crucial role in shaping public health policy in the United States and beyond.