CDC
Fired CDC Director Testifies in Front of Congress
On September 17, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee invited Dr. Susan Monarez, the recently terminated Director of the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to testify in front of the committee on Restoring Trust Through Radical Transparency: Reviewing Recent Events at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Implications for Childrenās Health. As previously reported by COSSA, Dr. Monarez was publicly terminated by the Trump Administration for allegedly refusing to pre-approve recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) after concerns that the committee was not properly reviewing research and data (read more in her op-ed…
HHS Secretary Kennedy on the Presidentās 2026 Health Care Agenda and CDC Leadership Shakeup
On September 4, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appeared before the Senate Finance Committee to address the Presidentās 2026 health care agenda. Several members of the Committee used the opportunity to question Secretary Kennedy on the recent termination of Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Susan Monarez and the Administrationās vaccine policy and recommendations, as well as their priorities for improving rural health. In their opening remarks, Senator Crapo (R-ID), Chairman of the Finance Committee, expressed his support for Secretary Kennedyās leadership of HHS, noting the Secretaryās commitment to ending āwaste, fraud, and abuse in…
CDC Director Fired After Clash with HHS Secretary Kennedy Over Vaccines
On August 28, Director Susan Monarez was fired by the Trump Administration. Monarez, who was confirmed to the role in July after serving as Acting Director since January, came under scrutiny by Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (see previous COSSA coverage). The New York Times reported that she clashed with Secretary Kennedy over vaccine policy, and her removal was later confirmed by the agency in a social media post. At least three other CDC officials have resigned following her termination. A statement published on Twitter by Monarezās lawyers claimed the dismissal was illegal and politically motivated, stating: āFirst it was independent advisory…
Senate Holds Confirmation Hearing for CDC Director
On Wednesday, June 25, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) held a nomination hearing to consider Dr. Susan Monarez as Director of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). This comes after the previous nominee was pulled just hours by the Administration before their first hearing (previous COSSA coverage). Prior to her nomination, Dr. Monarez served as the acting Director of the CDC from January to March 2025 and the Deputy Director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). During the hearing, Dr. Monarez faced extensive questioning about her priorities and goals for the agency if…
Kennedy Fires Then Appoints New Members Vaccine Committee
Earlier this month, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., dismissed all 17 members of the HHS Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), a federal panel that makes vaccine policy recommendations to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The committee was formed in 1964 and has largely been comprised of experts in medicine, public health, and immunology. Following the abrupt decision, Secretary Kennedy announced in a post on X (formerly Twitter) the appointment of 8 new members to the committee, including Joseph R. Hibbeln, MD; Martin Kulldorff, MD, PhD; Retsef Levi, PhD; Robert W….
Welch, Baldwin Host Two-Day Forum to Spotlight How Americans are Harmed by Trumpās HHS Actions
Senators Peter Welch (D-VT) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) held a two-day forum to spotlight how Americans are being harmed by the Trump Administrationās mass firings at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This comes after the Senators hosted a similar townhall on Trump and Muskās Cuts to Cancer and Alzheimerās Disease Cures (see previous COSSA coverage). During the two-day forum, Sens. Welch and Baldwin invited former federal agencies officials, including Dr. Anne Schuchat, former Principal Deputy Director at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Ms. Trina Dutta, former Chief of Staff at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health…
ICYMI: Trump Nominates Susan Monarez to Lead CDC
Earlier this month, President Trump nominated Dr. Susan Monarez to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Monarez, who holds a Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has been serving as the acting Director of the CDC following the departure of Dr. Mandy Cohen. As COSSA previously reported, President Trump initially nominated Dr. David Weldon for the role only to abruptly withdraw the nomination hours before his first Senate confirmation hearing. Previously, Monarez served as the deputy director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) and has held roles at the White House of Office of…
NIH Director Nominee, Dr. Bhattacharya, Voted Through HELP Committee; CDC Nomination Pulled
On March 13, the nomination of Dr. Jay Bhattacharya advanced through the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee in a 12-11 vote along party lines, overcoming the first hurdle for being confirmed as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director (see previous COSSA coverage). The next step is a confirmation vote by the full Senate, which has not yet been scheduled. During his confirmation hearing on March 5, Bhattacharya stated an intent to refocus NIHās research efforts on addressing chronic diseases, aligning with Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr, as well as investing in cutting…
119th Congress: Profile of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee
The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee has jurisdiction over health care, education, employment and retirement policies, including authorization of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of Education, and more. Like all Senate Committees, the leadership of the HELP Committee shifted to Republican-control following the 2024 elections. Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) is now serving as Chair and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) as Ranking Member. As Ranking Member in the last Congress, Cassidy indicated his desire to restructure the National Institutes of Health through a series of public comments and…
Mandy Cohen to be Named Next CDC Director
On June 16, the President announced his intention to appoint Dr. Mandy Cohen as the next Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Cohen will replace Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the current Director who has been serving since 2020. Cohen is expected to start in July; the CDC Director does not currently require Senate confirmation. In the release announcing the appointment, President Biden stated, āDr. Cohen is one of the nationās top physicians and health leaders with experience leading large and complex organizations, and a proven track-record protecting Americansā health and safetyā¦ Dr. Cohen has been recognized by leaders from…
House LHHS Subcommittee Holds Budget and Oversight Hearing on NIH, CDC, and ASPR
On April 19, the House Labor, Health and Human Services, Education (LHHS) Appropriations Subcommittee held a budget and oversight hearing on the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) fiscal year (FY). Testifying about the Administrationās fiscal year (FY) 2024 budget requests for their respective agencies were Dr. Rochelle Walensky, Director of CDC; the Honorable Dawn OāConnell, Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response of ASPR; and Dr. Lawrence Tabak, Acting Director of NIH. Chairman Robert B. Aderholt (R-AL) expressed concerns over the Presidentās budget request (see COSSAās…
Details of House Democratsā Reconciliation Proposals Released; Road to Passage Still Unclear
As previously reported, House Democrats are currently working to pass their $3.5 billion āBuild Back Betterā plan through the fiscal year (FY) 2022 budget reconciliation process. As part of the process, authorizing committees have been tasked with making recommendations for how to allocate the funding in the plan. At this point, all committees have made and approved their recommendations, which have been compiled by the House Budget Committee into a final package to be approved by the full House. Negotiations are underway with various wings of the Democratic caucus to reach an agreement to pass the full bill in the…
Biden Preliminary FY 2022 R&D Proposals Rely on āDARPAā Model
On April 9, the Biden Administration released preliminary, high-level details of its fiscal year (FY) 2022 budget request, referred to as a āskinny budget.ā At this stage, details are only available for Cabinet-level departments and a handful of other āmajorā agencies, with limited details about some agencies within the departments. For example, it includes preliminary details for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), but not for the Census Bureau. Full budget details will be released in the coming months. In the meantime, however, Congress is proceeding with the FY 2022 appropriations process without the Administrationās full proposals. Appropriators in both…
HHS Bypasses CDC in COVID-19 Data Collection, Sparking Concerns
On July 10, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released new guidance that instructed hospitals to bypass the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in reporting COVID-19 data and instead send the information directly to the Department through a relatively new system called HHS Protect. The change has raised concerns among many public health and science stakeholder groups that it could signal an effort to sideline the CDC in responding to the pandemic and to limit the data available to the public. Prior to the change, hospitals submitted COVID-19 information to the CDCās National Healthcare Safety Network…
Senate Makes Progress on FY 2020 Appropriations for NSF, Census, NIH, Education, USDA
With the passage of a continuing resolution through Thanksgiving giving Congress some breathing room to complete fiscal year (FY) 2020 appropriations, the Senate Appropriations Committee has finally made progress in approving a number of its annual appropriations bills. COSSA has released analyses of three Senate bills that fund agencies important to the social and behavioral sciences: Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, which funds the National Science Foundation (NSF), Department of Justice (DOJ), Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), and Census Bureau Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, which funds the National Institutes of…
COSSA Submits Testimony to Senate in Support of Funding for NIH, CDC, ED, BLS
As it does each year, COSSA submitted outside witness testimony to the Congressional Appropriations subcommittees responsible for funding federal agencies important to the social sciences. On June 3, COSSA submittedĀ testimony to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related AgenciesĀ calling for increased fiscal year (FY) 2020 funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Institute for Education Sciences (IES), and International Education and Foreign Language Programs (Title VI and…
House Committee Approves FY 2020 Spending for NIH, CDC, BLS, AHRQ, ED
On May 8, the House Appropriations Committee approved its fiscal year (FY) 2020 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS) Appropriations Bill; the Labor-HHS Subcommittee advanced the bill on April 30. This bill contains annual funding proposals for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Education (ED), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), and Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), among other federal departments and agencies. In a departure from what has become regular practice, the Labor-HHS bill was one of the first out the gate this year; the…
Trump Signs Labor-HHS Bill/CR, Pushing Remaining FY19 Spending to Dec 7
On September 28, President Trump signed into law a fiscal year (FY) 2019 funding package containing two of twelve appropriations bills, the Defense Appropriations bill and the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education Appropriations bill. The bill had been passed earlier in the week by the House of Representatives. Of particular interest to the social science community, the Labor-HHS bill contains next yearās final appropriation for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Education (ED), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), and Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), among other federal departments…
House Committee Approves FY 2019 Labor-HHS-Education Funding
On July 11, the full House Appropriations Committee approved its fiscal year (FY) 2019 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS) Appropriations Bill; the Labor-HHS Subcommittee advanced the bill on June 15. This bill contains annual funding proposals for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Education (ED), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), and Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), among other federal departments and agencies. The Senate Appropriations Committee reported its version of the bill on June 28 (more here). At a Glanceā¦ The House bill includes…
Senate Appropriations Committee Passes FY 2019 Labor, Health Human Services, Education Bill
On June 28, the full Senate Appropriations Committee approved its fiscal year (FY) 2019 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS) Appropriations Bill; the Labor-HHS Subcommittee advanced the bill on June 26. This bill contains annual funding proposals for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Education (ED), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), and Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), among other federal departments and agencies. The House Labor-HHS Subcommittee marked up its version of the bill on June 15 and released the bill text and accompanying report…