US Politics
GOP senator who voted for RFK Jr despite misgivings is now calling for stop to Trump HHS boss’ vaccine panel
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.
Read more
Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana has shared his concerns about Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s picks for a vaccine advisory panel, arguing that the committee’s next meeting should be delayed until more members with relevant experience can be selected.
Earlier this month, Kennedy removed all 17 members of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. He replaced them with eight new members, some of whom are known to be vaccine skeptics. The group is set to meet for the first time on Wednesday and Thursday.
Cassidy, a medical doctor, chairs the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. He was a vital vote in support of Kennedy’s confirmation as health secretary, who Cassidy said made several commitments — including not making any changes to the panel, which makes vaccine recommendations and outlines vaccination schedules for children.
“Although the appointees to ACIP have scientific credentials, many do not have significant experience studying microbiology, epidemiology or immunology,” Cassidy wrote on X on Monday night.
“In particular, some lack experience studying new technologies such as mRNA vaccines, and may even have a preconceived bias against them,” he added. “Robust and transparent scientific discussion is important, so long as it is rooted in evidence and understanding.”
Meetings should not proceed without a full panel or CDC director in place, and any meeting should be delayed until the panel is “fully staffed with more robust and balanced representation — as required by law — including those with more direct relevant expertise,” Cassidy wrote.
Otherwise, the panel’s recommendations “should be viewed with skepticism, which will work against the success of this administration’s efforts,” he said.
President Donald Trump’s choice to be the next director of the CDC, Susan Monarez, is set to have her confirmation hearing on Wednesday. With no director in place, Kennedy has greenlit some ACIP recommendations. Last month, without taking advice from ACIP, Kennedy revealed that the COVID-19 vaccine would no longer be recommended for pregnant women and healthy children.
HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon, who has previously defended Kennedy’s selections for the panel, said the committee “includes highly credentialed scientists, leading public-health experts, and some of America’s most accomplished physicians. All of these individuals are committed to evidence-based medicine, gold-standard science, and common sense,” according to NBC News.
A draft agenda for the meeting scheduled for this week includes a discussion and a vote on flu vaccines containing thimerosal, a form of mercury previously used as a preservative in some vaccines. Kennedy has pushed the false claim that thimerosal is connected to autism.
NBC News noted that since 2001, almost all vaccines made in the United States do not contain thimerosal or trace amounts. Solely multi-dose flu shot vials still contain thimerosal, but most flu shots are now single-shot.
As he announced his picks for the committee on June 11, he said, “All of these individuals are committed to evidence-based medicine, gold-standard science, and common sense.”
“They have each committed to demanding definitive safety and efficacy data before making any new vaccine recommendations,” he added.