Chciago – September 04, 2025
U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced tough questions from both Democrats and Republicans during a Senate hearing on Thursday about his vaccine policies, which are very different from the successful vaccine efforts led by President Donald Trump in his first term. The hearing lasted three hours and became heated at times.
One main issue discussed was Kennedy’s decision to fire Susan Monarez, the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), after only a month on the job. Kennedy said Monarez lied about the reasons for her dismissal. Senator Bill Cassidy asked why Kennedy had said vaccines killed more people than COVID-19, a statement Kennedy denied. He also wouldn’t say vaccines saved lives, though he later admitted they did prevent some deaths, though he couldn’t give specific numbers, mentioning confusing data from the Biden administration.
A study from The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal shows that COVID-19 vaccines saved around 14.4 million lives in the first year of use worldwide. Senators Thom Tillis, John Barrasso, Maggie Hassan, Raphael Warnock, and Bernie Sanders all questioned Kennedy on his actions. Some Republicans, like Senators Tillis and Barrasso, are doctors, and they used similar questions to challenge him.
During the questioning, Kennedy defended his decision to fire Monarez, saying he might have to remove more people from the CDC in the future. He argued that the CDC had misled Americans during the pandemic, citing false information about masks, vaccine boosters, social distancing, and vaccine transmission.
Kennedy’s actions and views have led to criticism from some Republicans and calls for him to resign from some Democrats. After Monarez’s firing, four senior officials at the CDC resigned, saying Kennedy’s anti-vaccine stance and misinformation played a role in their decisions.
