By Susan Monarez, the former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said she was told not to speak directly to senators by leadership at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) before being fired last month.
Monarez made the claim while appearing before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions on Wednesday — the first time she has spoken before the Senate since she was fired late last month, less than a month after she was confirmed.
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), who offered Monarez an apology for doubting her integrity during her confirmation hearing, asked whether she was told not to speak with senators by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
“I was instructed to not speak directly with senators,” Monarez said.
Kaine reacted with disbelief, noting that it is the expectation that public officials keep open communication with the Senate. He noted how Kennedy had vowed to usher in an era of “radical transparency” under his leadership.
“We used to speak with the CDC director all the time during Covid and during other emergencies,” said Kaine. “Putting a gag order on a CDC director and directing her not to speak to those who have confirmed her and to whom she is responsible for oversight is a very serious matter.”
Monarez was the first CDC director to be confirmed by the Senate after that new requirement was enacted following the COVID pandemic.