White Home pulling Dave Weldon’s nomination to run CDC
The White Home is withdrawing former Florida Rep. Dave Weldon’s nomination to be the director of the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention, a White Home official confirmed Thursday.
An administration official who was requested about why Weldon’s nomination was withdrawn responded, “It was clear he didn’t have the votes within the Senate.”
Weldon, a vaccine critic, was set to seem earlier than the Senate’s well being committee on Thursday for his affirmation listening to, and information of the withdrawal of his nomination got here lower than an hour earlier than the listening to was to start.
The committee was anticipated to query him about his lengthy report of criticizing vaccines and the company he was nominated to guide. Weldon is a doctor and a former Republican member of Congress.
In a press release obtained by CBS Information, Weldon stated that Well being and Human Providers Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was “very upset” at his nomination being pulled. Weldon stated he had acquired a name from the White Home 12 hours earlier than the scheduled listening to, informing him that the nomination could be withdrawn.
“Bobby Kennedy is an effective man who actually is enthusiastic about enhancing the well being of the American individuals,” Weldon stated. “President Trump did factor in making him secretary of HHS. Hopefully they will discover somebody for CDC who can survive the affirmation course of and get previous pharma and discover some solutions.”
Weldon stated that Maine Sen. Susan Collins had advised Kennedy she had reservations about his nomination, and stated the Republican senator’s workers had been “very hostile” in a gathering with him.
Weldon stated Collins’ workers repeatedly accused him of being in opposition to vaccines “regardless that I reminded them that I really give a whole bunch of vaccines yearly in my medical follow.”
He stated that over 20 years in the past, whereas in Congress, he raised some considerations about childhood vaccine security, and “for some purpose Collins workers immediately could not recover from that.”
Weldon additionally stated that one other senator, Louisiana Republican Dr. Invoice Cassidy, had additionally stated he was anti-vaccine and had as soon as requested for his nomination to be withdrawn.
The CDC has confronted mounting questions from senators in current weeks over strikes to reopen research into whether or not vaccines are linked to autism and in addition over an abruptly canceled assembly of the company’s exterior immunization advisers, which has but to be rescheduled.
After a gathering with Sen. Patty Murray final month, the Washington Democrat stated she was “deeply disturbed to listen to Dr. Weldon repeat debunked claims about vaccines.”
“As we face one of many worst measles outbreaks in years due to President Trump, a vaccine skeptic who spent years spreading lies about secure and confirmed vaccines ought to by no means have even been into account to guide the foremost company charged with defending public well being,” Murray stated in a press release Thursday.
Kennedy has additionally confronted criticism this week for inflating the dangers of measles vaccines when discussing the report outbreak in Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma. Kennedy, whose division oversees the CDC, additionally has a historical past of criticizing vaccines.
Axios first reported the White Home is pulling Weldon’s nomination.
Weldon would have been the primary CDC director nominee to face Senate affirmation, after a change handed by Congress. Earlier picks to move the Atlanta-based public well being company had been capable of assume their posts instantly.
Ed O’Keefe
contributed to this report.
