Overview

• Testifying before the Senate Finance Committee, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. defended removing CDC Director Susan Monarez and broader agency shake-ups during a contentious hearing.
• Kennedy denied Monarez’s Wall Street Journal claim that he ordered her to preapprove vaccine panel recommendations, calling the allegation false under questioning.
• Republican senators signaled unease, with Bill Cassidy calling for oversight and others questioning vaccine policy changes and the legitimacy of the revamped advisory committee.
• Kennedy has overhauled vaccine policy by firing all ACIP members, narrowing COVID-19 shot recommendations including for healthy children and pregnant women, and cutting $500 million from mRNA research.
• The CDC remains unsettled following leadership departures, layoffs, and budget cuts, with Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill installed as acting director and unions citing low morale after last month’s headquarters shooting.