HHS Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr to face Senate panel after CDC turmoil

While the committee does not directly oversee the CDC, the recent firing of former CDC Director Susan Monarez, the wave of high-level officials departing and other moves at the agency taken under Kennedy's tenure are expected to dominate the line of questioning from both Republicans and Democratic lawmakers on the panel.

Speculation has swirled over the reason behind Monarez's firing given her differing stance on vaccines compared to Kennedy, who spent much of his presidential campaign and tenure as secretary going after the efficacy and safety of vaccination, particularly those for COVID-19.

Last week, he demanded that the federal government's vaccine advisory panel, which was filled with Kennedy's handpicked replacements after he recently booted the original panel members, postpone its scheduled meeting in September until "significant oversight" was carried out by his committee, and charged that any recommendations made by the advisory panel should be rejected until then.

Cassidy told Fox News Digital that he was working on just what the oversight measures would look like and expected to announce his plans soon. In the meantime, he noted that he was supportive of Kennedy and Trump's commitment to "radical transparency," but noted that his main concerns were about children's health.  

"It isn't about R versus D. It isn't about, you know, internecine fights within the Republican Party. It is about children and grandchildren, and will they die or be at risk of dying from vaccine-preventable disease," Cassidy said. "Now we've got to get to the truth of this."

He also argued that members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices are supposed to receive materials to review before making vaccine recommendations and decisions, but questioned where the information would be coming from in the wake of several senior members of the CDC making their exit after Monarez's firing.

"We've got to have some sort of radical transparency into what scientific justification is being used for that," he said. "Is it a political appointee? Well, to say a political appointee is making scientific recommendations. Who's a political appointee? I mean, are they a doctor, a PhD, or are they a political appointee? Our concern is they might just be political appointees, but we're going to find that out."

"It's typical for any secretary that comes up, but I'm sure many of these issues that have been raised are related to some concerns. These questions are going to be asked, and I'm grateful that the Secretary will be there to explain what he sees going on and the path forward," he said.

He wrote that steps have already been taken to "eliminate conflicts of interest and bureaucratic complacency" at the agency, and that leaders who "resisted reform" had already been replaced.

"Most CDC rank-and-file staff are honest public servants," Kennedy said. "Under this renewed mission, they can do their jobs as scientists without bowing to politics. The agency will again become the world authority on infectious-disease policy."

"First, the CDC must restore public trust - and that restoration has begun," he continued. "It won't stop until America's public-health institutions again serve the people with transparency, honesty and integrity."

Fox News Digital reached out to the HHS for comment but did not hear back immediately.