Former US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Susan Monarez said on Thursday (Sep 4) she was pushed to rubber-stamp the decisions of Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr's hand-picked vaccine advisory committee, calling her ouster part of a broader push to weaken US vaccine standards. Monarez was fired in late August , barely a month into her tenure, following a series of clashes with Kennedy, including disputes over vaccine policy and her refusal to dismiss senior CDC staff.