Fired health chief says RFK Jr. pressured her to alter vaccine policy
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Susan Monarez testifies that she was fired after refusing to endorse vaccine schedule changes without scientific backing.
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Susan Monarez arrives to testify before the Senate HELP Committee at the Capitol in Washington on June 25, 2025 (AP)
The former head of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Susan Monarez, testified before the Senate on Wednesday that she was fired for refusing to approve changes to childhood vaccine schedules not supported by scientific evidence. Her ousting comes amid a broader effort by the Trump administration to reshape long-standing public health policy.
Speaking before the Senate Health Committee, Monarez said she faced direct pressure from US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who allegedly demanded she fire career CDC scientists without cause.
“Even under pressure, I could not replace evidence with ideology or compromise my integrity,” Monarez told lawmakers.
“Vaccine policy must be guided by credible data, not predetermined outcomes.”
Former CDC director testifies on political interference
Monarez’s testimony comes on the eve of a key meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, a once-independent body that Kennedy has reportedly overhauled, removing all previous members and replacing them with individuals whose views reflect his well-known vaccine skepticism.
According to Monarez, Kennedy demanded that she agree to rubber-stamp any recommendation issued by the newly restructured committee. She was dismissed less than a month after receiving unanimous confirmation from Republican senators.
Her statements directly contradict earlier testimony by Kennedy, who told the Senate Finance Committee that Monarez had been uncooperative and untrustworthy. He claimed he only asked her to “keep an open mind.”
RFK Jr. accused of undermining science, forcing firings
Monarez told the panel she had told Kennedy she was open to changes in the childhood vaccine schedule if they were backed by sound science. But when pressed by Senator Bill Cassidy, a physician and the committee’s Republican chair, Monarez said Kennedy admitted he had no such data.
“To be clear, he said there was not science or data,” she stated. “But he still expected you to change this?” Cassidy asked. “Correct", Monarez responded.
Following her dismissal, several senior CDC officials also departed the agency. Former CDC chief medical officer Debra Houry testified alongside Monarez, accusing Kennedy of censoring scientific data, politicizing CDC procedures, and stripping leadership of independence.
“I could not in good conscience remain under those conditions,” Houry said.
Senior officials resign amid allegations of censorship
Senator Angela Alsobrooks, a Democrat, asked Houry whether she believed Kennedy was “incompetent and dangerous to the American people's health.”
“Seeing what he has asked our scientists to do and to compromise our integrity, and the children that have died under his watch, I think he should resign,” Houry replied.
Her statement referred to a measles outbreak in 2025, the worst in over three decades, which led to more than 1,400 confirmed cases and three deaths, including two children.
Lawmakers warn of dangerous precedent for public health
Senator Susan Collins, a Republican, asked Monarez about the broader consequences of allowing political ideology to override scientific evidence in public health decisions.
“It could move the US into a very dangerous place in public health,” Monarez warned. “These are very important, highly technical discussions that have life-saving implications for our children and others who need vaccines.”
The CDC and global health authorities, including the World Health Organization, maintain that vaccines are safe and effective. However, critics argue that the Trump administration, under Kennedy’s leadership at the Department of Health, has worked to undermine public trust in vaccines, despite overwhelming scientific consensus.
