Overview

• Sen. Bernie Sanders called for Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to step down, citing the ouster of CDC Director Susan Monarez and ongoing vaccine policy changes.
• The White House says Monarez was fired less than a month into her tenure, while her lawyers dispute the removal and say she refused to endorse directives that lacked scientific support.
• Four senior CDC officials resigned in protest and hundreds of staff staged walkouts in Atlanta, warning that Kennedy’s approach is eroding scientific integrity and agency capacity.
• The administration defended the action and named Deputy HHS Secretary Jim O’Neill as acting CDC director, asserting the president’s authority to align leadership with his agenda.
• Sen. Bill Cassidy called for Senate oversight of the departures and questioned the legitimacy of the reconstituted CDC vaccine panel after previously casting a pivotal vote to confirm Kennedy.