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4d ago

Senate Confirms Susan Monarez as CDC Director

She takes charge of the agency after months without a permanent leader, confronting deep budget cuts coupled with sweeping vaccine guideline overhauls by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Susan Monarez, President Donald Trump's nominee to be director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, arrives to testify before the Senate HELP Committee, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
FILE - Susan Monarez, President Donald Trump's nominee to be director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, arrives to testify before the Senate HELP Committee, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, file)
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Overview

  • The Senate confirmed Monarez by a strict 51-47 vote, with all Republicans in favor and no Democratic support
  • Monarez’s confirmation under a 2022 accountability law marks the first time the Senate has reviewed and approved a CDC director nominee
  • She will be the first CDC leader without a medical degree, holding a PhD in microbiology and immunology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • Monarez inherits an agency facing proposals to cut nearly half of its 2026 budget and hundreds of staff reductions under the Trump administration’s workforce overhaul
  • During the months-long vacancy, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dismissed all 17 members of the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel and rescinded recommendations for healthy children to receive the COVID-19 vaccine