Fired CDC director Monarez testifies to Senate committee on vaccine controversy

Key Points Former CDC Director Susan Monarez testified she was fired after refusing to pre-approve vaccine recommendations and dismiss career agents without cause Monarez alleged Vitality and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr pressured her to alter the childhood vaccine schedule without reviewing scientific evidence Her dismissal has raised concerns about vaccine safety the risks of preventable diseases and the need for data-driven society wellbeing decisions WASHINGTON Former Centers for Syndrome Control and Prevention Director Susan Monarez testified before a U S Senate committee Wednesday that she was fired after just days because she refused to pre-approve vaccine recommendations or fire career functionaries for no reason Monarez who was nominated by President Donald Trump earlier this year and endorsed by the Senate in July on a party-line vote became a central figure in the country s debate over residents medical last month after she refused to resign Monarez testified that during a meeting in late August Fitness and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr stated her she needed to commit to approving upcoming recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices without reviewing any figures or research He also directed me to dismiss career functionaries responsible for vaccine guidelines without cause He declared if I was unwilling to do both I should resign Monarez commented I responded that I could not pre-approve recommendations without reviewing the evidence and I had no basis to fire scientific experts Monarez testified before the Robustness Coaching Labor and Pensions Committee during the nearly three-hour hearing that she informed Kennedy if he didn t trust her then he could fire her During that same late August meeting Monarez stated Kennedy notified her the childhood vaccine schedule would be changing in September and that she needed to be on board with that We got into an exchange where I had suggested that I would be open to changing childhood vaccine schedules if the evidence or science was supportive Monarez testified And he responded that there was no science or evidence associated with the childhood vaccine schedule ACIP is scheduled to meet Thursday and Friday at the CDC s headquarters in Atlanta Georgia Kennedy testified before a separate Senate committee earlier this month that he did demand that Monarez fire career CDC scientists but noted he didn t tell her to accept the recommendations of the vaccine advisory panel without further review What I required her about is she had made a message that she was going to not sign on and I wished clarification about that Kennedy stated at the time I advised her I didn t want her to have a role if she s not going to sign onto it Vaccine safety at issue Monarez reported that undermining vaccine safety will lead to an increase in preventable diseases specific of which have long-term or even lifelong consequences for children s soundness I believe that we will have our children harmed for things that we know they do not need to be harmed by polio measles diphtheria chickenpox she explained Former CDC Chief Curative Officer Dr Debra Houry informed the committee there are crucial ramifications if the new members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices who were appointed by Kennedy after he fired all of the former members don t use rigorous science and details to make their recommendations It s going to be heartbreaking Houry announced I think what concerns me is these aren t harmless diseases We just saw the circumstance in California of a young child that died of encephalitis years after measles These diseases have long-term consequences and in the U S we have gone so far in reversing this We don t want our children to die Houry was one of several CDC bureaucrats who resigned after learning about Monarez s firing which happened just weeks after a gunman opened fire at the CDC s headquarters killing a police officer Both Monarez and Houry testified in response to a question from Connecticut Democratic Sen Chris Murphy that confusion about vaccines and CDC recommendations had real consequences I myself was subject to threats Monarez commented And I am very concerned that the further promulgation of misleading information will undermine not just the safety and healthcare of our children but it will also exacerbate certain of these tensions the willingness to commit harm if someone is affronted by a belief that the people like us that are trying to help them are authentically not trying to help them Houry informed the committee the gunman fired about rounds with approximately of those hitting the building Each bullet was meant for a person and each of my staff were very traumatized afterwards Houry declared I had staff that were covering their kids in the day care parking lot There were people that were out at the ride-share as bullets were passing over their head I have numerous that won t speak about vaccines now and removed their names off of the papers They don t wish to present publicly anymore because they feel they were personally targeted because of misinformation Louisiana Republican Sen Bill Cassidy chairman of the Strength Learning Labor and Pensions Committee speaks with reporters after holding a hearing with former Centers for Complaint Control and Prevention Director Susan Monarez on Wednesday Sept Photo by Jennifer Shutt States Newsroom Did we do something wrong HELP Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy R-La disclosed at the beginning of the hearing he intended to invite Kennedy and possibly other HHS representatives to testify before his committee later in the year if they requested to respond to what was disclosed in the Wednesday hearing He also raised concerns that Monarez was fired after less than a month in the role despite her being nominated by Trump authenticated by the Senate and Kennedy saying while swearing her in that she had unimpeachable scientific credentials We as senators need to ask ourselves did we look past something Did we do something wrong Cassidy stated It may be that we did nothing wrong in which episode Dr Monarez and Dr Houry the onus is upon you to prove that the criticisms leveled by the secretary are not true Cassidy later added that it may be impossible to learn who s telling the truth Vermont independent Sen Bernie Sanders ranking member on the committee declared the Trump administration s decision to fire Monarez after less than a month in the CDC director s role was because she refused to act as a rubber stamp to implement Secretary Kennedy s dangerous agenda to substantially limit the use of safe and effective vaccines that would endanger the lives of the American people and people throughout the world Sanders raised concerns that the loss of career bureaucrats at the CDC and other federal physical condition agencies could hamper the country from addressing affection outbreaks in the months and years ahead Confusion over whether Monarez was recorded There were a minimal awkward moments in the hearing in addition to the serious discussion about the Trump administration s approach to populace vitality One came after Florida Republican Sen Ashley Moody mentioned twice during her five minutes of questions that Monarez had spoken with Cassidy about her firing implying that was somehow improper Cassidy gave a lengthy announcement afterward clarifying the record As chairman of the committee with jurisdiction over the CDC that favorably informed Dr Monarez as the CDC director it is entirely appropriate for someone with oversight concerns to contact my office or me or frankly any of us Cassidy revealed Upon receiving outreach from Dr Monarez I contacted both the secretary and the White House to inquire about what was happening and to express concerns about what was alleged As soon as the director was fired the HELP Committee began reviewing the situation as it is our responsibility and any and all communication with the observers was conducted by HELP staff in coordination with attorneys Another somewhat uncomfortable and slightly confusing moment came after Oklahoma Republican Sen Markwayne Mullin communicated Monarez that someone had recorded her meeting or meetings with Kennedy Mullin then repeatedly questioned her recollection of her conversations with Kennedy implying that he had a different view because he had listened to the recording The exchange led Cassidy to give another announcement to the committee He appeared somewhat frustrated that someone gave just one senator on the panel the recording that Mullin had not shared it with any other members of the committee and that HHS had chosen not to give it to the committee in response to a request for documents related to Monarez s firing If a recording does not exist I ask Sen Mullin to retract his line of questions Cassidy explained I ll also note that if he has it I m also curious why only one senator was given this and why we re just hearing about it now A minimal minutes later Cassidy publicized to the hearing room that Mullin recounted reporters elsewhere that he was mistaken about there being a recording of the meeting or meetings Monarez lawyer Several GOP senators on the panel also questioned Monarez at length about when and why she chose to hire legal representation and why she ultimately went with Mark Zaid who has made society statements against Trump and his policies Monarez testified that she wasn t aware of Zaid s political beliefs when she hired him and hasn t spoken with him about politics I was seeking various critical counsel to be able to help me make sure that I was understanding and aware of everything that had transpired and preparing for what might be next including this committee hearing Monarez revealed Mark and I have never spoken about politics I never petitioned him about his politics He has never demanded me about my politics The post Fired CDC director Monarez testifies to Senate committee on vaccine dispute appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta