By Health Secretary Robert

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Susan Monarez, the former head of the CDC, spoke out in a tense Senate hearing. This was her first public statement since she was suddenly fired just weeks into her job. Monarez told the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions about the fights she had with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that led to her leaving. Her testimony showed how much political pressure there was, how much disagreement there was over vaccine policy, and how she wouldn’t “rubber stamp” demands that she said went against science.What made Susan Monarez lose her job so suddenly?Susan Monarez gave a detailed timeline of the events that led to her firing in her opening statement to the Senate. She got support from both parties and was praised by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for having “unimpeachable scientific credentials.” Live EventsPresident Trump also called her an “incredible mother and dedicated public servant.” But she was fired less than a month later.Independent Senator from Vermont Bernie Sanders, a ranking member of the committee, outlines the two reasons she was laid off: she refused to “pre-approve” the recommendations of a vaccine panel that included “anti-vaccine” individuals, and she refused to fire scientists “for doing their jobs.”ALSO READ: D4vd Tesla body identified as a teenage girl – was it a murder? What she wore and where the case is headed”Bottom line, Dr Monarez stood up for science, for public health and for the scientific method,” Sanders says.Susan Monarez explains how her tenure as CDC ended after “29 days”. “Since my removal, several explanations have been offered…none of those reflect what actually happened,” Monarez said, “None of those show what really happened.”Sen. Bill Cassidy, who is in charge of the panel, openly wondered if the Senate had done a bad job of keeping an eye on things. He said, “Part of our responsibility today is to ask ourselves, if someone is fired 29 days after every Republican votes for her, the Senate confirms her, the secretary said in her swearing in that she has ‘unimpeachable scientific credentials’ and the president called her an incredible mother and dedicated public servant — like what happened? Did we fail? Was there something we should have done differently?”How did RFK Jr. talk to Monarez about the vaccine policy?Susan Monarez talked about an important meeting on August 25, when she said Kennedy gave orders. According to Monarez, that day they had three meetings. She claims that in one of them, he asked her to resign or commit to firing scientists, and he also asked her for “blanket approval” to forthcoming recommendations from a vaccine panel “regardless or not whether there was scientific evidence,” as quoted in a report by the BBC.ALSO READ: Charlie Kirk’s shocking remarks over women and their career goals days before his death- Here’s what he saidShe told the senators, “These requests went against my oath of office and the ethics that come with being a public official.” “Even under pressure, I could not replace evidence with ideology,” Monarez told members of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions on Wednesday. “Vaccine policy should be guided by evidence and credible science.”Monarez also said that Kennedy called CDC workers “horrible people” and said that the agency was “the most corrupt federal agency in the world,” saying that staff members were “killing children.”She also said that Kennedy had already talked to the White House about firing her before she was officially let go. “He directed me to dismiss career officials responsible for vaccine policy without cause.” “I said no,” Monarez said firmly.Kennedy reportedly confronted her after learning that she might not approve the vaccine recommendations from the recently reorganized advisory board, according to Monarez. According to her, he was “very upset” and “very animated” during that exchange. Monarez claims that she informed Kennedy that without data and proof, she could not approve recommendations. She claims that Kennedy then emphasized that the CDC had not gathered any information or proof regarding the effectiveness and safety of vaccines. Kennedy stated, “I needed to commit to signing off on each and every one of those recommendations, and if I could not commit to that, I needed to resign,” Monarez told Collins. According to Monarez’s testimony, RFK Jr. “was very concerned” that she had discussed the changes he had ordered with members of Congress and was advised to “never do it again.”Monarez also said, “He told me he could not trust me, and I told him if he could not trust me, he could fire me.”What other CDC officials were worried about?Dr. Debra Houry, who used to be the CDC’s Chief Medical Officer, also testified with Monarez. She talked about how she had just quit after 10 years at the agency. She said, “Decisions were based on evidence, openness, and talking to the best scientists in the world.” “That has changed.”She said that Kennedy “politicized the CDC processes,” turning its leaders into “rubber stamps” for policies that weren’t based on science and “putting American lives at risk.” Houry also said that she quit because she couldn’t stay in those conditions, as quoted in a report by BBC.Houry said that trust in vaccines is already waning, pointing to the fact that fewer children are getting vaccinated. She warned that “a drop in measles vaccine take-up to 92.8% means there is a risk of measles outbreaks.” This year, there have been 1,491 cases of measles, the most in 30 years.What does this mean for the CDC and the trust of the public?Monarez’s testimony, along with Houry’s resignation, raised more worries about the CDC’s ability to work independently when there is political pressure. Houry said that the agency is less ready for future pandemics because of staff cuts and interference.Monarez decided that she could have kept her job and title, but she wouldn’t give up her “integrity.” Even though she was only CDC director for 29 days, her testimony has raised serious questions about the future of evidence-based public health in the United States, as quoted in a report by BBC.FAQsWhy did the CDC fire Susan Monarez?She said she was fired because she wouldn’t do what RFK Jr. wanted, which was to approve vaccine recommendations ahead of time and fire career scientists.How long was Monarez the head of the CDC?She was fired just 29 days after being confirmed.Add as a Reliable and Trusted News Source Add Now!
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