The Senate Health Committee voted along party lines Wednesday to advance President Trump’s nominee to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The panel voted 12-11 to advance the nomination of Susan Monarez to be the next CDC director.
“The United States needs a CDC director who makes decisions rooted in science, a leader who reformed the agency and worked to restore public trust in health institutions with decades of proven experience as a public health official, Dr. Monarez is ready to take on this challenge,” committee Chair Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) said.
“She is committed to improving transparency the CDC and properly communicating health guidance to the American people.”
Monarez, a scientist in the federal service for nearly 20 years, sat for a confirmation hearing last month. She was careful to not discredit scientific consensus while also not breaking with either Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. or President Trump.
She served as acting CDC director prior to her nomination in March.
When asked if she disagreed with Kennedy on anything, Monarez avoided directly answering, saying she looked forward to “supporting the secretary with science and evidence.”
For Democrats on the Health Committee, Monarez did not establish enough daylight between herself and Kennedy’s divisive and at times unfounded views.
“Under her watch the Trump administration has illegally delayed or canceled $11 billion in public health funding to fight infectious disease and to prepare for the next pandemic; purged important public health data from the website that scientists need to respond to disease outbreaks; and fire scientists who focus on worker safety, the health of mothers and children, birth defects, disabilities, smoking cessation and HIV prevention,” the committee’s ranking member Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said when explaining his vote against Monarez.
“In my view, we need a CDC director who will defend science, protect public health, repudiate Secretary Kennedy’s dangerous conspiracy theories about safe and effective vaccines that have saved over the years millions of lives,” Sanders added. “Unfortunately, after reviewing her record, I do not believe that Dr. Monarez sees that person.”
Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), who is also on the panel, lamented that the committee was not fulfilling its duty to carry out oversight over Kennedy and major health issues like the ongoing measles outbreaks. She argued having the “best CDC director in the world” would make no difference with Kennedy in power and the committee not keeping him in check.
“I really do hope that Dr. Monarez will defy my expectations. I hope she will stand up for science and put public health first. But again, I hope that for others and here we are today,” Murray said.
