At a affirmation listening to Wednesday, President Donald Trump’s select for the director of Facilities for Illness Keep watch over and Prevention, Dr. Susan Monarez, confronted questions on her stance on vaccines — after Well being and Human Services and products Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., a vaccine skeptic, has not too long ago made debatable alternatives round them
Monarez used to be transparent in her improve for vaccines.
“I believe vaccines save lives. I believe that we wish to proceed to improve the promotion of usage of vaccines,” Monarez mentioned.
Her feedback got here as she used to be requested by way of Impartial Sen. Bernie Sanders a couple of fresh choice reported by way of POLITICO that Kennedy has determined to finish U.S. investment for a world vaccine alliance, Gavi.
“I wasn’t inquisitive about that call making. If I am showed as a CDC director, I will be able to without a doubt glance into it, and I am glad to apply up with you,” Monarez mentioned.
Susan Monarez, nominee to be the Director of the Facilities for Illness Keep watch over and Prevention testifies throughout her affirmation listening to earlier than the Senate Committee on Well being, Schooling, Hard work, and Pensions, June 25, 2025 in Washington.
Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Photographs
Kennedy has lengthy held many vaccine-skeptic perspectives, refuted by way of mavens and high quality research, lengthy earlier than he joined the management, however he has insisted he isn’t “anti-vaccine” and moderately “pro-safety.”
Previous this month, Kennedy got rid of all 17 sitting contributors of the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee and changed them with new contributors. The transfer has been debatable, with some mavens announcing it makes the U.S. “much less ready for infectious illness threats.”
Monarez additionally stood except for Kennedy on her perspectives on autism, and whether or not there may be any hyperlink between the neurological dysfunction and formative years vaccinations — which Kennedy has lengthy raised as a possible explanation why for emerging charges of autism diagnoses.
“I’ve now not noticed a causal hyperlink between vaccines and autism,” Monarez mentioned, requested by way of Sanders if she is of the same opinion with the American Scientific Affiliation’s stance “that there is not any clinical confirmed hyperlink between vaccines and autism.”
Susan Monarez, nominee to be the Director of the Facilities for Illness Keep watch over and Prevention testifies throughout her affirmation listening to earlier than the Senate Committee on Well being, Schooling, Hard work, and Pensions, June 25, 2025 in Washington.
Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Photographs
Kennedy, in his personal affirmation listening to, refused to recognize that there’s now not a hyperlink between vaccines and autism, inflicting him to almost lose the important thing vote of Sen. Invoice Cassidy, a Republican and a health care provider.
Kennedy has since introduced a significant effort at NIH to seem into the reasons of emerging autism diagnoses.
The parable that vaccines reason autism used to be born out of a fraudulent 1998 find out about, hypothesizing that the measles, mumps, rubella vaccine led to intestinal irritation, which, in flip, resulted in the improvement of autism.
The paper has since been discredited by way of well being mavens, retracted from the magazine wherein it used to be printed, and its number one creator, Andrew Wakefield, misplaced his clinical license after an investigation discovered he had acted “dishonestly and irresponsibly” in accomplishing his analysis.
Greater than a dozen high quality research have since discovered no proof of a hyperlink between formative years vaccines and autism.
Monarez defined her credentials in her opening statements, touting her revel in with well being generation and public well being. She additionally laid out her objectives because the CDC director, which incorporates restoring public consider, modernizing public well being infrastructure and using evidence-based fast choice making.
“Those priorities improve the president’s and the secretary’s imaginative and prescient of a more healthy The united states. To succeed in them, I will be able to lead with integrity, transparency and function, and paintings with Congress to maximise well being results and give protection to the American other folks,” Monarez mentioned in her opening remark.
Trump tapped Monarez to steer the CDC in March after the management withdrew Trump’s different select, Dr. David Weldon, to go the company mentioning the truth that he didn’t have the votes had to be showed.
Monarez, if showed, will paintings with Kennedey to “prioritize Responsibility, Top Requirements, and Illness Prevention to in spite of everything deal with the Continual Illness Epidemic and, MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN!” Trump mentioned in a social media put up saying her nomination.
Susan Monarez, nominee to be the Director of the Facilities for Illness Keep watch over and Prevention testifies throughout her affirmation listening to earlier than the Senate Committee on Well being, Schooling, Hard work, and Pensions, June 25, 2025 in Washington.
Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Photographs
Monarez has served because the performing CDC director since overdue January.
She has revel in in each the private and non-private sector — together with running within the executive underneath former presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Trump’s first time period and Joe Biden. Her paintings has integrated methods to struggle antimicrobial resistance, too.
She has additionally led initiatives to make use of synthetic intelligence and device studying to give a boost to well being results.
