CDC under Kennedy faces Senate scrutiny and vaccine panel review

Source: NBC News

Sept. 16, 2025, 5:43 PM EDT


WASHINGTON — Access to childhood vaccines faces a “real risk” in the United States, Susan Monarez is expected to tell a Senate health committee on Wednesday.

The testimony by Monarez, who was fired as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in August, comes just a day before the agency’s influential vaccine panel plans to vote on whether to delay or restrict access to shots that protect children against potentially serious contagious diseases.

“The stakes are not theoretical,” Monarez said in prepared testimony to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions obtained by NBC News. “We have already seen the largest measles outbreak in more than 30 years, which claimed the lives of two children. If vaccine protections are weakened, preventable diseases will return.”

Her testimony marks the start of a high-stakes week for the CDC. Following the Senate committee hearing Wednesday, the agency’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is scheduled to meet Thursday and Friday, where the 12 members appointed by Kennedy are expected to review and vote on several key vaccines, including for measles, Covid and hepatitis B.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/cdc-rfk-jr-senate-hearing-vaccine-panel-review-susan-monarez-rcna231327