CDC Director fired over vaccine policy conflict with RFK Jr.
CDC Director Susan Monares was fired over vaccine policy differences with Department of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has fired the leader of the federal advisory committee responsible for making preventive health health recommendations for Americans.
A letter was sent to at least two heads of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, informing them that their current appointments will be terminated immediately, an HHS official who was not authorized to speak publicly confirmed to USA TODAY.
The USPSTF plays a critical role in selecting preventive health services that are free to patients and covered by insurance plans under the Affordable Care Act, such as cancer screenings, sexually transmitted disease tests, mental health exams, and critical medications.
The terminations come nearly a year after USPSTF members were notified via email that an in-person meeting scheduled for July 10, 2025, had been postponed, a person familiar with the situation who was not authorized to speak publicly previously told USA TODAY.
Following the postponement of the meeting, dozens of medical organizations sent a letter to leaders of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee urging Congress to maintain the task force’s procedures and mandate.
“It is important that Congress protect the integrity of the USPSTF from intentional or unintentional political interference,” said the letter, signed by the American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, and others.
The task force typically meets three times a year, but has not met since March 2025, according to a recent CNN report. HHS spokesman Andrew Nixon told the outlet in an email in March that the task force’s first meeting of the year had been postponed and “will be reconvened in the coming months.”
Contributor: Adriana Rodriguez
