Monarez’s exit signals an extraordinary rupture between scientific leadership at the CDC and political leadership at HHS.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. is facing a call to be questioned on the heels of the firing of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Director Susan Monarez on Wednesday.
Newsweek reached out to HHS via online form Thursday for comment.Why It Matters
Monarez’s exit signals an extraordinary rupture between scientific leadership at the CDC and political leadership at HHS during a period of major policy change to vaccine advisory structures and funding.
President Donald Trump nominated RFK Jr. to head the department, which he has since pushed forward under the campaign of Making America Healthy Again.What To Know
In a statement posted to X on Thursday, Independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders said in part, „In just six months, Secretary Kennedy has completely upended the process for reviewing and recommending vaccines for the public. He has unilaterally narrowed eligibility for COVID vaccines approved by the FDA, despite an ongoing surge in cases. He has spread misinformation about the safety and effectiveness of vaccines during the largest measles outbreak in over 30 years. He continues to spread misinformation about COVID vaccines. Now he is pushing out scientific leaders who refuse to act as a rubber stamp for his dangerous conspiracy theories and manipulate science“, Sanders said.
The senator also asked HELP Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican, to initiate a public hearing to „compel“ both Secretary Kennedy and Monarez, along with recently resigned CDC officials, to testify about the firing, the statement noted.
