US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy said Thursday that firing a top government scientist was "absolutely necessary," as he faced blistering criticism from Democrats urging him to resign over his steps to curb vaccines.

The Senate hearing, marked by sharp exchanges that often erupted into shouting matches, came days after the ouster of Sue Monarez, the former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Her dismissal, accompanied by several high-level resignations and hundreds of earlier layoffs, has plunged the nation's premier public health agency into turmoil.

In his opening remarks, Kennedy tore into the CDC's actions during the Covid pandemic, accusing the agency of failing "miserably" with "disastrous and nonsensical" policies including masking guidance, soci

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