Amna Nawaz
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WATCH: Former CDC doctor describes pressure to avoid data that may conflict with Hep B vaccine shift
Posted
September 17, 2025
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September 17, 2025
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1:18Now PlayingDr. Debra Houry, former chief medical officer and deputy director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, testified Wednesday that she was pressured to avoid asking questions that could produce information that conflicted with upcoming recommendations about certain vaccines.
In a hearing before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., asked Houry if she was "told to disregard science or to enhance science" ahead of the Sept. 18 and 19 meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the panel of experts that historically has advised the CDC on immunization recommendations. In June, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired the entire committee and has since named members to replace them, including several vaccine skeptics or conspiracy theorists.
Houry said she suggested additional questions for a workgroup focused on Hepatitis B vaccinations so they "could look at differences in age groups."
"The senior advisor was concerned that could bias moving away from a birth dose," Houry said. "I asked how asking questions and providing data could do bias if we didn't have the answers yet."
Former CDC Director Susan Monarez also testified in the hearing Wednesday about the political pressure she says she faced from Kennedy. She says she was fired after she refused to preapprove vaccine recommendations from a CDC panel without seeing scientific evidence. Kennedy has denied these claims and told senators earlier this month that she was lying.
The hearing comes a day before a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the panel that issues vaccine recommendations. Kennedy, known for his anti-vaccine advocacy, has come under fire for removing all members of the board and replacing them with people who align with his views. The panel is expected to vote on authorizations for COVID-19 vaccines, among others.
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