The Senate on Tuesday confirmed Susan Monarez to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), putting a longtime government scientist at the helm of an agency being upended by Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Monarez, 50, is President Trump’s second pick for the job. She was confirmed on a largely party-line vote, 51-47.

The CDC has not had a leader since March, when Monarez stepped down as acting director because she was nominated to be director. She is the first nominee for CDC director to require Senate confirmation.

Monarez will take the helm of an agency under fire.

The Trump administration is looking to slash its budget by almost half in 2026, and hundreds of staff have been cut. Meanwhile, doctors and public health experts have accused Kennedy of undermining the agency's credibility by changing vaccine recommendations and firing all members of a vaccine advisory panel.

In the absence of a director, Kennedy

© The Hill