Former CDC Director Says She Was Fired Over Child Vaccine Schedule Dispute

A new controversy is rocking U.S. public health policy after former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Susan Monarez testified before the Senate that she was fired for refusing to endorse changes to the childhood vaccine schedule without reviewing supporting scientific evidence.

Monarez, who served just 29 days as confirmed CDC director, told lawmakers she was pressured by Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to commit to approving all recommendations from the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), regardless of data. She said her refusal to act as a “rubber stamp” led to her removal.

Pressure Over Vaccine Policy

According to Monarez, Kennedy informed her on August 25 that revisions to the child vaccine schedule were imminent and that she was expected to be “on board.” She testified that Kennedy argued there was no strong scientific basis for the current schedule and pushed for immediate changes.

Monarez said she pushed back, insisting that she would only approve policy based on peer-reviewed evidence and scientific consensus. She also refused to dismiss veteran CDC officials working on vaccine policy simply because they disagreed with the administration’s approach. Within days, she was asked to resign.

Additional Testimony

Her account was supported in part by Dr. Debra Houry, former CDC Chief Medical Officer, who also testified that vaccine policy was becoming politicized under the current administration. Houry raised concerns about proposals to drop the recommendation for administering the Hepatitis B vaccine at birth, noting that no transparent data review had been provided to justify such a change.

Both Monarez and Houry warned that politicizing vaccine schedules could undermine decades of progress in controlling preventable diseases and further erode public trust in health authorities.

HHS Pushback

Kennedy and HHS officials strongly deny the allegations. In statements to reporters, they insisted that any future changes to the vaccine schedule will be “evidence-based and transparent.” Kennedy rejected claims that he pressured Monarez to approve recommendations without science, calling her testimony a “mischaracterization of events.”

Why This Matters

The stakes are high. Childhood vaccine schedules are designed to protect millions of children against diseases such as measles, polio, and hepatitis. Altering them without clear evidence could expose communities to outbreaks and weaken public confidence in routine immunization.

Monarez’s testimony also raises broader questions about scientific independence in policymaking. Can public health leaders resist political pressure? Will scientific review remain central to CDC decisions? And how should Congress oversee vaccine policy to ensure public safety?

What Comes Next

Congressional committees are now examining the process behind the proposed vaccine schedule changes, while watchdog groups are demanding assurances that science—not politics—will guide decisions. Meanwhile, the CDC faces an uncertain future as it works to balance transparency, public trust, and political oversight.

For now, Dr. Monarez’s testimony highlights a critical fault line in U.S. health policy: whether childhood vaccines will continue to be governed by evidence, or become a political battleground with consequences for millions of families.