Susan Monarez, the former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who was ousted last month after mere weeks in the role, is set to testify before the Senate next week about what was behind her dramatic downfall, as well as the ongoing chaos at the public health agency under health secretary and anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

In a hearing last Thursday before the Senate Finance Committee, a combative Kennedy repeatedly called Monarez a liar and made the incredible claim that he fired her after he asked her directly if she was a trustworthy person and she responded “no.” While senators clearly struggled to believe that explanation, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) wryly noted that Kennedy should have asked her the question before having the Senate confirm her for the role.

In an op-ed published in The Wall Street Journal the same day as Kennedy’s testimony, Monarez gave a different account of her firing—one corroborated by independent reporting—saying that she was ousted after she refused Kennedy’s directives to fire senior CDC staff and pre-approve vaccine recommendations from an advisory committee he had stacked with fellow anti-vaccine advocates.

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Origianl Creator:
Beth Mole

Original Link: https://arstechnica.com/health/2025/09/ousted-cdc-director-to-testify-before-senate-after-rfk-jr-called-her-a-liar/
Originally Posted: Wed, 10 Sep 2025 20:35:56 +0000