Overview

• Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. called Susan Monarez’s removal "absolutely necessary" and condemned CDC pandemic decisions as "catastrophic and nonsensical" during a heated, three‑hour hearing.
• The White House dismissed Monarez after less than a month in the job; she says she was pushed out for rejecting what she calls unscientific directives and plans to sue, arguing in a Wall Street Journal op‑ed that she insisted on rigorous review.
• Several senior CDC leaders resigned in protest, including Debra Houry, Demetre Daskalakis, Daniel Jernigan and Jennifer Layden, warning of political interference in public‑health decision‑making.
• Democrats labeled Kennedy a charlatan and urged him to resign, while a few Republicans criticized his vaccine research cutbacks; Kennedy again promoted hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin, treatments scientists say are ineffective for Covid‑19.
• Kennedy has cut nearly $500 million from mRNA vaccine research and replaced the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel, and reporting points to Deputy Health Secretary Jim O’Neill as a likely successor at the CDC as President Trump signals continued support.