Updated September 17, 2025 at 12:13 PM MDT

In a much anticipated public appearance Wednesday, Susan Monarez, the former head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, defended her short tenure at the embattled public health agency.

She testified that she was ousted last month because she refused to cede to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s demands to pre-approve vaccine recommendations for the public and fire career scientists.

"He just wanted blanket approval," Monarez told members of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions on Wednesday. "Even under pressure, I could not replace evidence with ideology."

Over the three-hour hearing, Monarez repeatedly countered Kennedy's claims – which he outlined in a Wall Street Journal op-ed and reiterated dur

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