By Ahmed Aboulenein
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. under fiery questioning from Democratic Senator Ron Wyden defended his ousting of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Susan Monarez, adding that he might need to fire even more people at the agency.
President Donald Trump fired Monarez after she resisted changes to vaccine policy advanced by Kennedy that she believed contradicted scientific evidence, further destabilizing the already embattled agency.
In an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal on Thursday, Monarez said she had been directed to preapprove vaccine recommendations, and that her ouster was part of a broader push to weaken U.S. vaccine standards.
Kennedy said that he had never told Monarez she needed to preapprove decisions.
He said the CDC during the COVID-19 pandemic had lied to Americans, pointing to recommendations on mask wearing, vaccine boosters and social distancing and statements that the vaccine would prevent transmission. During the COVID pandemic, the CDC came under fire as Americans became frustrated, particularly with school closures, although its changing recommendations were based on past experience with virus transmission and what was known about the novel coronavirus at the time.
“I need to fire some of those people and make sure this doesn’t happen again,” Kennedy said.
Since taking the job, Kennedy has made a series of controversial changes to U.S. vaccine policy, including narrowing who is eligible for COVID shots and firing all 17 expert members of a CDC vaccines advisory panel, choosing some fellow anti-vaccine activists to replace them.
Kennedy has faced criticism from some Republicans and calls to resign by some Democrats since Monarez’s firing, which triggered the resignations of four senior agency officials who cited anti-vaccine policies and misinformation pushed by Kennedy and his team.
Over 1,000 current and former health employees have also called for Kennedy to resign.
Kennedy appointed Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill as acting CDC director the following day.
U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, a Republican from Louisiana and a physician who chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, has said the CDC upheaval warrants oversight.
Cassidy was the deciding vote during Kennedy’s confirmation process after receiving assurances the long-time anti-vaccine crusader would not interfere with vaccine policy.
U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont who caucuses with Democrats and is the ranking member on the HELP committee, on Saturday called on Kennedy to resign in a New York Times guest essay, saying he was endangering the health of the American people. Wyden from Oregon called for the same on Thursday.
Both Cassidy and Sanders, who are also members of the Senate Finance Committee, are expected to press Kennedy during Thursday’s hearing.
The CDC has faced mounting challenges under Kennedy’s leadership, including a shooting at its Atlanta headquarters last month. The union representing CDC workers said the incident “compounds months of mistreatment, neglect, and vilification that CDC staff have endured.”
The White House sought to cut the agency’s budget by almost $3.6 billion, leaving it with a $4 billion 2026 budget, and Kennedy announced a layoff plan earlier this year that cut 2,400 CDC employees, though some 700 were rehired.
(Reporting by Ahmed Aboulenein;Editing by Bill Berkrot and Caroline Humer)
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