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yesterday

Fired CDC Director Says RFK Jr. Sought Preapproval of Vaccine Votes as Senate Scrutiny Intensifies

Her claims set up consequential votes by a reconstituted CDC advisory panel with potential shifts to vaccine guidance.

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WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 17: (L-R) Former Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Chief Medical Officer Dr. Debra Houry and former Director of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Susan Monarez testify before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on September 17, 2025 in Washington, DC. The committee is hearing testimony from fired CDC employees and the implications on children’s health. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Overview

  • Testifying to the Senate, Susan Monarez said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. demanded she preapprove upcoming ACIP recommendations and dismiss career CDC vaccine officials without cause; HHS has denied seeking rubber‑stamped decisions while acknowledging firing directives.
  • The ACIP meeting scheduled for Sept. 18–19 will consider recommendations on COVID‑19, hepatitis B and other vaccines, with reporting indicating the panel may weigh delaying or removing the newborn hepatitis B birth dose.
  • Kennedy removed all 17 ACIP members in June and installed a new slate that includes figures who have questioned vaccine safety, raising concerns about the rigor of impending votes.
  • With the CDC directorship vacant after Monarez’s ouster, HHS Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill is serving as acting director and will be responsible for deciding whether to adopt any ACIP recommendations.
  • Committee Chair Bill Cassidy voiced concern over weakening hepatitis B guidance and signaled he will seek Kennedy’s testimony, while Monarez and former CMO Debra Houry warned that politicized vetting of CDC science risks a resurgence of preventable diseases.