U.S. Senator Paul Challenges Vaccine Recommendations for Infants

Dr. Susan Monarez, PhD—a microbiologist, public health official, and former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)—testified before the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee on September 17, 2025. She alleged that she was fired for refusing to comply with directives from Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., which she said would have compromised scientific integrity.

According to Monarez, she was pressured to approve changes to the childhood vaccination schedule, including the possible removal of the hepatitis B vaccine for newborns. In her testimony, Monarez defended the continued importance of vaccines—specifically citing both the hepatitis B vaccine and the COVID-19 shot.

Early in the three-hour hearing, U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) hammered Monarez on the lack of hard evidence that COVID vaccines benefit children under 18 and questioned the rationale for giving hepatitis B shots to newborns of uninfected mothers. Monarez largely deflected, while Paul framed the issue as CDC overreach serving policy rather than science.