The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee has voted to advance President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the CDC.
Susan Monarez, Ph.D., was appointed acting director in January, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been without a director since late March when the White House withdrew its original nominee, David Weldon, MD, and named Monarez as the nominee. Weldon was de(To sign up for a free subscription to Food Safety News, click here)
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emed to not have enough votes needed to pass Senate confirmation.
The CDC helps with the investigation of foodborne illness outbreaks and maintains various data bases for foodborne pathogens.
The Senate committee voted along party lines 12-11 to advance the nomination of Monarez. Bill Cassidy, R-LA, who chairs the committee, said Monarez is committed to improving transparency at the CDC and properly communicating health guidance, which he said is especially important against the backdrop of reemerging health threats such as measles.
However, Democrats raised concerns about Monarez standing by while Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spreads misinformation about vaccines.
Monarez previously served as deputy director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health within HHS and has held several other roles in government, including with the Office of Science and Technology Policy and the National Security Council, both within the executive branch.
Her work has included strategies to combat antimicrobial resistance, and Monarez has led projects to use artificial intelligence and machine learning to improve health outcomes.
So far there is no vote scheduled in the full Senate to finalize Monarez’s confirmation.
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