The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) just advanced President Donald Trump's pick to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The committee, according to ABC News, did so last week, by a vote of 12 to 11.

The vote, ABC reports, did go along party lines.

Trump's pick is Susan Monarez, and there are a couple of things that make her nomination strange or unique.

Background

Trump announced his selection of Monarez to lead the CDC back in March.

He, at the time, wrote:

I am proud to announce that Dr. Susan Monarez is my Nominee to serve as the next Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Dr. Monarez brings decades of experience championing Innovation, Transparency, and strong Public Health Systems. She has a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin, and PostDoctoral training in Microbiology and Immunology at Stanford University School of Medicine.

This brings us to the first unique thing about Monarez. ABC News reports, "If confirmed, Monarez will be the first CDC director without a medical degree since 1953."

The other unique thing, according to the outlet, is that "Monarez is the first CDC director nominee to require a Senate confirmation after Congress passed a law requiring it in 2022."

She just took a big step toward that confirmation by making it through the committee.

A controversial pick?

Trump's nomination of Monarez has not been without controversy.

The Associated Press reports:

Last month, Monarez told senators that she values vaccines, public health interventions and rigorous scientific evidence, but she largely dodged questions about whether those positions put her at odds with Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic who has criticized and sought to dismantle some of the agency’s previous protocols and decisions.

This, however, is not all. There are also claims that Monarez agreed with the Biden administration's handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has tried to push back on some of these claims, writing:

X posts that erroneously attribute Biden-era tweets supporting masks, lockdowns, vaccine mandates, etc. to my

@CDCgov

Director nominee, Susan Monarez, have understandably provoked agita within the MAHA movement. I handpicked Susan for this job because she is a longtime champion of MAHA values, and a caring, compassionate and brilliant microbiologist and a tech wizard who will reorient CDC toward public health and gold-standard science. I’m so grateful to President Trump for making this appointment.

X posts that erroneously attribute Biden-era tweets supporting masks, lockdowns, vaccine mandates, etc. to my @CDCgov Director nominee, Susan Monarez, have understandably provoked agita within the MAHA movement. I handpicked Susan for this job because she is a longtime champion…

— Secretary Kennedy (@SecKennedy) March 25, 2025