Just two months after Monarez was sworn in to the job, HHS announced on August 27 that she was no longer the director of the CDC. She had been the acting director since January and was the first CDC director to receive Senate confirmation after a law took effect this year requiring the president’s nominee to receive Senate approval. The hearing follows mass layoffs at HHS and a shooting at the CDC in August by a gunman who was protesting the Covid-19 vaccine. Kennedy, a longtime anti-vaccine activist, has implemented new restrictions on the Covid-19 vaccine in his short tenure. ACIP’s recommendations are often adopted by the CDC director and significantly influence state vaccination requirements.