In a 51–47 vote along party lines, the Senate confirmed Monarez as the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She is the first nominee for CDC director to be required to get Senate confirmation, following a 2022 law requiring it. She is also the first person to serve in the role without a medical degree since 1953.

Susan Monarez is the first director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to require Senate confirmation. She's also the first director without a medical degree in more than 70 years.

The Senate voted 51-47 to confirm Monarez on Tuesday. Both Georgia Senators, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, voted no. This is the first Senate confirmation vote for the CDC Director. Prior to 2023, the position did not require Senate approval.