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() Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is set to face questions Thursday before the Senate Finance Committee regarding recent changes within the nation’s leading public health agency.
His appearance comes just a week after the Food and Drug Administration restricted access to the COVID-19 vaccine a decision that sparked the removal of newly appointed Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Susan Monarez, the resignations of four senior officials and public backlash.
Kennedy is expected to defend reforms for the Department of Health and Human Services, which he recently wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed are designed to cut bureaucracy and reduce conflicts of interest that undermine “gold-standard science.”
Kennedy has faced mounting scrutiny as multiple firings and resignations heighten alarm over a potential leadership crisis at the CDC.
More than 1,000 current and former HHS employees signed a letter this week demanding his resignation, accusing Kennedy of “compromising the health of the nation.”
The letter follows a previous call from HHS staff urging Kennedy to do more to protect public health workers after the Aug. 8 shooting at CDC headquarters in Atlanta.