Overview
- Monarez told senators she believes vaccines save lives and said she has not seen any causal link between immunizations and autism.
- She declined to criticize Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s decision to fire all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and noted only that it should rely on science and evidence.
- If confirmed, Monarez would be the first CDC director without a medical degree since 1953, holding a doctorate in microbiology and immunology with extensive biomedical research experience.
- Under Kennedy’s leadership, the CDC has faced proposed budget cuts of about $3.6 billion, a layoff plan that eliminated 2,400 positions and the realignment of several public health programs.
- Republicans hold a one-vote majority on the HELP committee and her nomination needs only a simple majority to move to a full Senate confirmation vote.