By Ahmed Aboulenein

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. under fiery questioning from Democratic Senator Ron Wyden defended his ousting of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Susan Monarez, adding that he might need to fire even more people at the agency.

President Donald Trump fired Monarez after she resisted changes to vaccine policy advanced by Kennedy that she believed contradicted scientific evidence, further destabilizing the already embattled agency.

In an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal on Thursday, Monarez said she had been directed to preapprove vaccine recommendations, and that her ouster was part of a broader push to weaken U.S. vaccine standards.

Kennedy said that he had never told Monarez she needed to preapprove decis

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