Two influential GOP senators have expressed unease over the firing of Susan Monarez as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which led to the resignations of four other high-ranking CDC officials. Sen. Bill Cassidy called on the department’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) to postpone a Sept. 18 meeting, citing serious allegations about the meeting agenda, membership, and lack of scientific process. Sen. Susan Collins also expressed concern and called for congressional oversight over the decision to terminate Monarez less than a month after her Senate confirmation. Both senators are up for reelection in 2026, and GOP sources predict that Cassidy will be cautious in his approach to the controversy as he faces a conservative primary challenger, Louisiana Treasurer John Fleming. The senators issued their statements after four senior CDC officials resigned from the agency following Monarez’s firing.
Republican strategist Tom Frieden has criticized the recent shake-up at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) over Kennedy’s attempts to rewrite the nation’s vaccine policies. He argued that Kennedy’s attempts to use selectively curated, opaque studies to promote his view of autism is an “epic” blunder for the CDC, the country, and Kennedy’s credibility. Frieden called Kennedy’s efforts to overhaul the agency an “assault” on science and sound health policy. He predicted that Republicans could hold hearings that give Democrats a chance to get tough with Kennedy. Kennedy criticized the CDC’s leadership for misinformation, testing errors, social distancing, masks, and school closures. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended Trump’s decision to fire Monarez and said the president would nominate a new person to head the agency “very soon.” The administration has appointed Deputy Health and Human Services Secretary Jim O’Neill as acting CDC director. Former senior health official Chris Daskalakis criticized Kennedy’s decision to fire all 17 members of the Center for Autism and Immunization Prevention (ACIP) and replace them with people more aligned with his agenda.
