Investigate Political Interference Destroying CDC's Scientific Integrity

Launch a full investigation into political interference at the CDC. Dr. Debra Houry, the agency's former Chief Medical Officer, resigned in protest this summer because she could "no longer protect the scientific integrity of the agency." Three other top officials walked out with her. When your own senior scientists quit rather than watch ideology override evidence, something has gone catastrophically wrong. The facts demand scrutiny. Kennedy refused CDC briefings during an active measles epidemic while publicly spreading misinformation. On June 9, he fired all 17 members of the ACIP panel and replaced them with individuals who lacked required ethics disclosures and had ties to anti-vaccine litigation. That reconstituted panel then voted to strip Hepatitis B birth dose recommendations and remove thimerosal from flu vaccines before a federal judge halted their appointments. Meanwhile, 29 states and Washington D.C. have stopped using CDC recommendations as a benchmark for childhood vaccinations. That is a public health collapse in real time. Science is not a political position. Autism research is being funneled through what Houry called a "conspiracy lens," ignoring the established genetic and environmental science. CDC webpages were purged, then quietly restored the day after a confirmation hearing. Decisions are being made by people with no medical or scientific background. The Senate Health Committee has Houry's emails. Use them. Hold hearings, demand accountability, and make clear that federal health agencies must be run on data and evidence, not ideology.