Senate Confirms New CDC Director

The Senate on Tuesday confirmed Susan Monarez to be the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Monarez was named acting director in January after the Trump administration pulled the nomination of former Florida congressman Dr. David Weldon.

She was nominated to fill the role permanently in March.

The Senate confirmed Monarez’s nomination by a vote of 51-47.

“Congratulations to Dr. Susan Monarez, PhD, on her Senate confirmation as the 21st Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She brings decades of distinguished experience in health innovation, disaster preparedness, global health, and biosecurity to @CDCgov. Dr. Monarez will lead
@CDCgov’s efforts to prevent disease and respond to domestic and global health threats, advancing @SecKennedy’s mission to Make America Healthy Again,” the CDC wrote.

Congratulations to Dr. Susan Monarez, PhD, on her Senate confirmation as the 21st Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She brings decades of distinguished experience in health innovation, disaster preparedness, global health, and biosecurity to @CDCgov. Dr.… pic.twitter.com/xG4nsRdFnS

— CDC (@CDCgov) July 29, 2025

The Hill provided further details:

Unlike other Trump health nominees, Monarez is not known as a controversial flamethrower. She has worked in the federal government for nearly 20 years across multiple offices but had not worked for the CDC prior to Trump tapping her as the agency’s acting head shortly after beginning his second term.

Prior to her role at CDC, she served as deputy director at the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health. Before entering government work, she was a science and technology policy fellow with the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Trump chose Monarez to lead the agency after his first choice, former Florida Rep. Dave Weldon (R), failed to gain enough support among Senate Republicans. Weldon was heavily scrutinized for promoting a debunked link between vaccines and autism.

During her confirmation hearing, Monarez told Democrats that “vaccines save lives” and said there was no evidence vaccines cause autism.

But she walked a fine line and was careful not to directly contradict her would-be boss, despite prodding by Democratic senators. She advanced through the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee on a party-line vote.

When asked about the safety of mRNA ‘vaccines,’ Monarez told Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) the FDA approved them as “safe and had demonstrated efficacy associated with them.”

“We can have the confidence that we can put it in ourselves and our children,” she added.

Watch the footage:

CDC Director Nominee Susan Monarez:

“The FDA has … approved the mRNA vaccines as safe and had demonstrated efficacy associated with them … We can have the confidence that we can put it in ourselves and our children.” pic.twitter.com/cplAL84ZDj

— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) June 27, 2025

CBS News highlighted more of Monarez’s views:

Fluoride, another topic Kennedy has spotlighted, was also a subject of discussion during Monarez’s hearing. This year, two states, Utah and Florida, became the first to ban the use of fluoride in drinking water, where it’s been added for decades to help prevent tooth decay.

“Fluoride is an important component to oral health, and there are various aspects of using fluoride to improve oral health — a direct application can be very valuable,” Monarez said.

Democratic Sen. Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland specifically asked Monarez whether the water in Potomac, Maryland, which has fluoridation, is safe for families.

Monarez replied: “I believe the water in Potomac, Maryland is safe.”

Measles came up repeatedly as senators questioned Monarez about how she would interact with Kennedy in her role at the CDC.

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“The CDC director can’t perform this critical role unless they are politically independent. Which means that you must be willing to disagree with political leaders based on scientific evidence,” Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire said. “So, is there anything that you disagree with Secretary Kennedy about?”

“If I’m confirmed as CDC director, I look forward to having technical discussions with the secretary. He has said he values and prioritizes independent thinking and using science to drive decision making,” Monarez replied. “I am an independent thinker, and I am a scientist, and I will welcome the opportunity to share my opinions based on science and evidence with him as he makes some of these very difficult decisions.”

After Monarez sidestepped a question from Hassan about whether she disagrees with anything Kennedy has done, the senator got more specific, asking about Kennedy’s claim that it’s “very difficult for measles to kill a healthy person.” This year’s measles outbreak, centered in West Texas, killed two children who doctors said did not have previous health conditions.

Monarez replied that measles is an “important public health threat” that can be lethal.