Overview

• Monarez told senators that “vaccines save lives” and said she has seen no evidence linking vaccines to autism.
• She declined to criticize Health Secretary Kennedy’s overhaul of the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee but affirmed that ACIP must rely on science and evidence.
• Monarez said she was not involved in this year’s staff reductions and program eliminations and vowed to safeguard the CDC’s core functions.
• She pledged to restore public trust and implement rapid, evidence-based decision making at an agency slated for up to $3.6 billion in budget cuts amid measles and bird flu outbreaks.
• If confirmed, the microbiologist would become the first CDC director without a medical degree since 1953 and transition from acting to permanent leadership.