Amna Nawaz
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WATCH: Ousted CDC Director Monarez warns children will be harmed if vaccine science is undermined
Posted
September 17, 2025
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September 17, 2025
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1:44Now PlayingFormer CDC Director Susan Monarez testified Wednesday that children will be harmed if vaccine science is undermined.
Monarez said in a hearing before the the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions that she was fired after she refused to preapprove vaccine recommendations from a CDC panel without seeing scientific evidence. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has denied these claims and told senators earlier this month that she was lying. Her firing led to the resignations of several other top health officials, including chief medical officer Dr. Debra Houry, who also testified in Wednesday’s hearing.
When Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., asked Monarez to describe her concerns about the long-term implications of Kennedy's actions on vaccines, she warned that more children will die of vaccine-preventable illnesses, such as polio, measles, diphtheria and whooping cough. She also warned that school systems and medical institutions will carry greater burdens "that could have been prevented by effective and safe vaccines."
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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