Susan Monarez, , appeared before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions on Wednesday to give testimony regarding the recent instability within the public health organization. Monarez informed Senators that prior to her dismissal last month, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. insisted on two actions from her that she stated were “incompatible with [her] oath of office.”
“He instructed me to agree beforehand to sanction all recommendations from the [Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices], irrespective of scientific data. Additionally, he told me to terminate career professionals in charge of vaccine policy without justification,” Monarez asserted. “He stated that if I refused to do both, I ought to step down. I replied that I could not endorse recommendations in advance without examining the evidence, and I lacked any grounds to remove scientific specialists.”
“Vaccination strategy ought to be informed by reliable information—not by conclusions decided ahead of time,” she added.
Monarez informed the committee that Kennedy became “quite displeased” upon hearing her refusal to prematurely sanction vaccination recommendations from an advisory body.
“He was greatly disturbed. The whole discussion was exceedingly strained. He remained greatly disturbed throughout our entire conversation, and it did not involve a fruitful exchange of details,” Monarez recounted.
Kennedy has not yet publicly addressed Monarez’s statements. TIME has contacted HHS seeking a response.
The Trump Administration announced last month that it had dismissed Monarez, who had served as the agency’s head for approximately one month. Her termination led to , including that of then-Chief Medical Officer Debra Houry, an emergency room doctor who also testified before the Senate on Wednesday.
Monarez’s legal representatives asserted she was “singled out” because she “declined to automatically endorse unscientific, irresponsible mandates and dismiss committed health specialists.” Several days afterward, nine past CDC leaders penned an article for , alleging Kennedy was jeopardizing the well-being of Americans.
Senator Bernie Sanders, an Independent representing Vermont, stated during Wednesday’s session that Monarez “advocated for safeguarding the health of the American populace, and for this, she was terminated.”
Sanders further stressed that the hearing’s scope extended well beyond merely Monarez’s dismissal. “The concern is more profound. It pertains to Secretary Kennedy’s perilous campaign against science, public health, and objective reality,” Sanders contended. “It is unacceptable that we now have an HHS secretary who disregards recognized scientific principles and heeds conspiracy proponents and dogmatists instead of physicians and medical experts. It feels ridiculous to have to state this in 2025, but immunizations are secure and potent.”
Monarez reiterated that viewpoint during her individual testimony.
“This day ought not to focus on me. This day should concern the future of confidence in public health,” she declared. “I could have remained silent, consented to the directives, and no one would have been aware. What the public would have witnessed were scientists discharged without justification, and immunization safeguards gradually undermined, all under the purview of a Senate-approved director with unblemished qualifications. I might have retained the position, the designation, but I would have sacrificed the sole thing that is irreplaceable: my moral standing.”
“Some individuals might dispute my intentions or misrepresent my statements; such is the nature of public existence. However, I am not present as a political figure; I am here as a scientist, a civil servant, and a parent dedicated to safeguarding the health of coming generations.”
Ever since Kennedy, a , was appointed to head HHS earlier this year, he has supervised multiple alterations to the nation’s immunization strategy.
In May, Kennedy announced the CDC would COVID-19 vaccines for expectant mothers and healthy youngsters. Numerous esteemed medical associations, including the and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, issued their separate advisories, differing from Kennedy’s suggestions.
One month afterward, Kennedy all members of a committee that provides vaccine guidance to the CDC. He swapped them out for new members, some of whom seemed to align with his skeptical stance on vaccines. In August, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that the COVID-19 inoculations for the current year would only receive approval for individuals aged 65 and above, or those with an elevated risk of severe illness—a significant departure from prior directives, which advised the shots for everyone over 6 months old. This alteration has caused widespread confusion among many about whether they will be able to obtain their COVID-19 booster shots this year. Amidst this ambiguity, several states—including , —began their own efforts to safeguard vaccine accessibility.
Hundreds of public health personnel issued an open letter in late August imploring Kennedy to “cease disseminating erroneous health data” and pledge to safeguard employees, following a at the CDC headquarters in Atlanta only weeks prior. The public health staff stated the incident “occurred amidst escalating distrust in public bodies, fueled by politicized discourse that has transformed public health specialists from credible authorities into subjects of vilification—and currently, aggression.”
Kennedy faced from legislators during a Senate hearing held earlier this month, pertaining to his termination of Monarez and his recent adjustments to the nation’s vaccination approach.
Throughout the hearing, Senator Tina Smith, a Democrat representing Minnesota, interrogated Kennedy regarding his statements on a , when he expressed reservations about the security of vaccines.
“At what point were you being dishonest, Sir, when you informed this committee that you were not anti-vaccine, or when you stated to Americans that no immunization is safe and effective?” Smith inquired of Kennedy.
“Both statements are accurate,” Kennedy replied.
