The recent move to replace the US Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s panel of vaccine advisors should help restore American confidence at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The candidate told the senators Wednesday.
President Donald Trump’s CDC director pick Dr. Susan Monales testified before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee amid growing warnings from lawmakers about eroding American confidence in vaccine safety under Kennedy’s HHS leadership.
The Senate hearing happened the same morning when the CDC’s newly appointed advisory committee on vaccination practices convened its first meeting in Atlanta despite calls from lawmakers, including Louisiana Republican Chairman Bill Cassidy.
“The secretary had to make decisions related to ensuring that ACIP supports restoring public trust,” Monales said when asked about the reconstructed panel.
Kennedy rejected all 17 ACIP members this month, citing conflicts of interest. Two days later, he nominated eight new members, several of whom had records criticizing the vaccine’s safety. As of Wednesday morning, one candidate, Dr. Michael Ross, had withdrawn during federal screening of members’ financial holdings.
Monares, a microbiologist and infectious disease expert who has worked for several federal health agencies over the years, said she is not familiar with the details of the shake-up, but is open to placing more people on the committee. The CDC Director can encourage experts to join ACIP, but the HHS Secretary will ultimately sign off for the appointment.
“These are not easy places to fill,” Monales said. “It takes a lot of time commitment to get you to want to be involved from some of these highly trained technical experts.”
Cassidy and several Democrat senators sought the reassurance of protecting ACIP’s integrity as CDC director from Monares.
“Part of the concern is that while the people on the panel are scientifically qualified, they have no experience in vaccination (background), Cassidy said, the responsibility lies with you.” He shared the panel on Monday, pointing out specific presentations to specific scheduled presentations about the preservative thimerosal, a particular vaccine.
Cassidy has also cultivated mRNA, a widely used Covid-19 vaccine technology that is promised early in other vaccinations and potential treatments. Some vaccine critics, including new ACIP member Dr. Robert Malone, have touted unproven theories that mRNA vaccines can cause cancer and other serious side effects.
“If you turn your back on that platform, you have a solution to the tragedy, Lyme disease, with HIV, which is the tragedy,,” Cassidy said. He pushed Monales to include ACIP panel experts with experience in mRNA and immunology.
She agreed.
“We absolutely need highly trained scientists and experts to participate,” Monales said. ACIP is “a very important part of the CDC. It’s a very important and important process.”
The candidate also said several times that “vaccines save lives.”
At other times during the hearing, Monales distanced himself from other Trump administration instructions, including large-scale layoffs at the CDC and proposals to eliminate certain programs.
Monales, who served as the CDC’s assistant director from January to March, has repeatedly said he is not familiar with the details of lead poisoning prevention efforts and layoffs that stalled anti-Tobacco education campaigns.
Monares said she was not involved in HR decision-making during the government’s efficiency-driven layoffs, but she later said she would work with CDC staff to “make sure we’re strengthening.”
While Kennedy was critical of the addition of fluoride to public water supplies, Monales was more uncommitted when Democrat Maryland Sen. Angela of Brooks was questioned about the HHS secretary’s plan to end CDC support for fluorination in state and local drinking water.
“Fluoride is an important factor in oral health,” Monales said.
Brooks also said that the public water supply in Potomac, Maryland, where Monares lives, has been fluorinated and asked Monares if it is safe.
“I think water in Potomac, Maryland is safe,” replied Monares.
Trump chose Monales to lead the agency after withdrawing his first candidate, former Florida MP Dr. Dave Weldon. In a public letter after the withdrawal, Weldon accused Cassidy and Maine Sen. Susan Collins of cratering the nomination amid concerns over the vaccine’s views.
