Amna Nawaz
@PBSNewsHour·5.3M subscribers·62.2K videos
WATCH: Sen. Paul spars with ousted CDC Director Monarez on changing childhood vaccine schedule
Posted
September 17, 2025
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September 17, 2025
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6:11Now PlayingSen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., questioned former CDC Director Susan Monarez on Wednesday about her removal from the agency and about the push from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy and his allies to change the childhood vaccine schedule.
Monarez testified in the hearing Wednesday about the political pressure she says she faced from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 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.
Monarez’s 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.
Paul pushed Monarez to describe evidence around the COVID-19 vaccine and the hepatitis B vaccine for newborns, which the CDC currently recommends for all babies before they leave the hospital.
"We should be discussing what is the childhood vaccine schedule ... The burden is upon you and the people you wouldn't fire to prove to us that we need to give our 6-month-old a COVID vaccine and that we need to give our 1-day-old of hepatitis B vaccine. That's what the debate ought to be about, not whether all vaccines are good or whether we live in Alice in Wonderland," Paul said.
"I actually agree with you, and I was open to the science. I just would not pre-commit to approving all the ACIP recommendations without the science," Monarez responded.
"Untrue," Paul said.
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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