rewrite this title I Left the CDC 100 Days Ago. My Worst Fears About the Agency Are Coming True

For several weeks after my resignation, the nation paid attention. There was scrutiny on the misinformation coming from the Secretary, the chaos in the response to a measles outbreak, the unprecedented firing of members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), and concerning shifts in how CDC communicates to the public.

That public attention culminated in the Senate HELP Committee hearing in September, where ex-CDC director Susan Monarez told senators she was asked to rubber-stamp vaccine recommendations and dismiss senior career scientists. I also testified to learning about changes to CDC guidance via tweets, to the Secretary’s promotion of unproven medications during a measles outbreak, and to HHS leaders making data requests outside of standard processes.

But today, 100 days later, things have not improved. They have worsened. And Congress has still failed to act.

Earlier this summer, the Senate appropriations committee questioned the continued hiring of political leaders at CDC in their budget language. HHS again ignored Congressional direction. Since September, CDC has onboarded at least two additional political hires, now bringing the count to 14 political leaders and no career scientists in the Office of the Director. The acting CDC director, Jim O’Neill, is neither a scientist nor a physician. These newest hires, Mark Blaxill and Dr. Ralph Abraham, have publicly made anti-vaccine statements.