Senate Republicans split on Wednesday over whether the Trump administration was justified in pressuring former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Susan Monarez to adhere strictly to its agenda. Several GOP lawmakers questioned Monarez’s loyalty to the president while moderates openly worried the Trump administration is degrading trust in public health.
Monarez, who was fired 29 days into the job, told the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. required staff to sign off on any CDC policy changes and that Kennedy plans to change the childhood immunization schedule later this month, whether or not the scientific data supports it.
The hearing precedes the first meeting of Kennedy’s newly redesigned vaccine advisory committee, which meets Thursday.
