President Trump tapped Monarez in March to replace his previous choice David Weldon, a former Florida congressman whose nomination was withdrawn over concerns that he would not clear the Senate.
Monarez served as the CDC’s acting head from January until her nomination and was previously deputy director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health. If confirmed, she would be the first non-physician to hold the position in more than half a century.
As director, Monarez would hold enormous power over the future of vaccines. She would be able to approve or reject vaccine recommendations made from the agency’s advisory panel which Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr recently overhauled.
During confirmation hearing, Monarez showed that she concurred with scientific consensus on issues like vaccinations and water fluoridation, topics that have come under intense scrutiny since the start of Kennedy's tenure. Former colleagues describe Monarez as a strong believer in science and data.
She told senators she believes vaccines “save lives” and that fluoridated water is safe. At the same time, Monarez was careful to not directly contradict either Kennedy or Trump.
When asked by Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) if she disagreed with Kennedy on anything, Monarez said, “If I’m confirmed as CDC director, I look forward to supporting the secretary with science and evidence and making sure that I am giving him the best information possible to help support some of these critical decisions.”
