Fear and politics pervade Kennedy’s CDC, former leaders testify

Elizabeth Cooney is a cardiovascular disease reporter at STAT, focusing on heart, stroke, and metabolic conditions. You can reach her via Signal at LizC.22.

The struggles of the nation’s principal health agency were starkly illustrated in recent testimonies from two of its former leaders.

Susan Monarez, who was dismissed just 29 days into her role as director of the CDC, and Debra Houry, who resigned as chief medical officer on the same day, revealed new insights into the pressures facing the agency during a Senate health committee hearing.

Both emphasized that the CDC has been weakened not only by staff reductions but also by a pervasive atmosphere of fear exacerbated by public skepticism of scientific authority. They argued that this tumult is significantly impairing the agency’s ability to assist health departments on both national and global scales.