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Washington — Sen. Bill Cassidy powerfully criticized Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. implicit his vaccine skepticism and handling of the nation's nationalist health, contempt having delivered the cardinal ballot to beforehand Kennedy's information past year.
Cassidy, a aesculapian doc who chairs the Senate wellness committee, said connected "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" that it's "easy to surmise" that Kennedy made promises to him to triumph his vote, and since then, the commitments that the HHS caput made to him and the state "have been violated."
"If you physique nationalist wellness upon a instauration of lies, past you're going to person the lack of capable nationalist health," helium said. Brennan's interrogation with Cassidy was conducted connected June 25.
Cassidy explained that helium formed the ballot to assistance corroborate Kennedy due to the fact that the alternate script was having him installed successful a czar-type relation without immoderate legislature oversight.
"Bobby Kennedy was going to person the receptor of the President. The President seems to beryllium fascinated with the Kennedys," Cassidy remarked.
"Either helium was going to beryllium successful a presumption wherever determination were guardrails, and I did person commitments made arsenic to benignant of guardrails. Or helium was going to beryllium appointed White House wellness czar, successful which lawsuit helium would person the president's receptor without the guardrails," Cassidy said. "You tin knock it, but I chose to person the 1 with the guardrails."
Asked whether Kennedy has restored spot successful nationalist health, arsenic Cassidy thought helium mightiness do, the legislator declared, "He has not restored spot successful nationalist health" and pointed to reports of the Trump medication trying to rein successful Kennedy.
"Polling shows that the American radical recognize that vaccines are important, and for idiosyncratic to beryllium retired determination saying that they're not goes against their experience," helium said.
Asked if the president is alert of the nationalist cognition astir immoderate of Kennedy's agenda, Cassidy said, "The medication intelligibly has gotten disconnected the anti-vaccine connection into thing much positive."
In a code connected the Senate level connected Feb. 4, 2025, Cassidy said that Kennedy had made a fig of promises to him including a pledge that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would support statements connected its website noting determination is nary established nexus betwixt vaccines and autism.
The existent CDC web leafage has a heading stating "Vaccines bash not origin Autism," but it appears with an asterisk and says astatine the bottommost of the leafage that the operation remains connected the tract owed to an statement with Cassidy.
Immediately beneath the heading, the leafage reads, "this webpage has been updated due to the fact that the connection 'Vaccines bash not origin autism' is not an evidence-based claim." The leafage goes connected to rise questions astir the statement, arguing that "there are inactive nary studies that enactment the circumstantial assertion that babe vaccines DTaP, HepB, Hib, IPV, and PCV, bash not origin autism."
Research has recovered nary evidence of accrued rates of autism among those who are vaccinated compared to those who are not.
Still, Cassidy gave recognition to Kennedy for his absorption connected ultra-processed foods.
"If that's wherever helium stayed, our state would beryllium truly overmuch amended off," helium said. "But the conception that immunizations someway are atrocious has been intelligibly disproven by beingness experience, due to the fact that what's happening is radical getting sick, successful immoderate cases dying, and the medication intelligibly has moved distant from that."
In the "Face the Nation" interview, Cassidy said "I tin archer you that that breached statement that I had with the secretary, that that was not expected to happen."
HHS did not respond to a CBS petition for a effect to Cassidy's accusation,
Kennedy past June testified successful a fund proceeding earlier a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee that helium is "complying with each the agreements" helium made with Senator Cassidy.
Pulte arsenic acting DNI
On President Trump's prime of lodging regulator Bill Pulte to temporarily pb the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Cassidy said his objection "is that helium utilized idiosyncratic accusation to people a governmental force of the president."
Pulte, who besides leads the Federal Housing Finance Agency, has accused respective Trump foes of owe fraud and lacks immoderate acquisition successful nationalist security, prompting a question of disapproval from lawmakers.
"You should not beryllium utilizing the unit of authorities to clang upon idiosyncratic conscionable due to the fact that the idiosyncratic successful complaint does not similar them oregon finds them inconvenient. The information that Bill did that is disqualifying for idiosyncratic to beryllium the manager of nationalist intelligence," helium said.
Pulte has sent transgression referrals to the Justice Department alleging owe fraud by a fig of Mr. Trump's governmental foes, including New York Attorney General Letitia James, Sen. Adam Schiff, Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook and erstwhile Rep. Eric Swalwell. Mr. Trump cited the fraud allegations against Cook to warrant her attempted firing, which is presently earlier the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court is expected to regularisation connected Cook's lawsuit this week arsenic it wraps up the existent word earlier opening summertime recess.
All 4 person denied wrongdoing, and lone the probe into James has resulted successful transgression charges to date. That lawsuit was yet dismissed.
Democrats connected Capitol Hill asked the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office to analyse whether Pulte "potentially misused national authorization and resources to publically impeach salient Democrats and President Donald Trump's perceived governmental enemies of owe fraud." The bureau confirmed successful December that it was investigating FHFA's owe fraud probe procedures and immoderate caller changes successful the process. On Tuesday, a GAO spokesperson said the bureau expects to contented the results successful "late 2026 oregon aboriginal 2027."
Todd Blanche and Jan. 6
The Louisiana legislator indicated helium could withhold his enactment for Mr. Trump's lawyer wide pick, Todd Blanche, who is presently serving successful the presumption successful an acting capacity, until there's written assurance that the Justice Department won't determination guardant with the $1.8 cardinal "anti-weaponization" money to wage radical who assertion they were politically persecuted.
Blanche told House lawmakers earlier this period that the Justice Department is "not moving forward" with the fund, but the Trump medication has refused to submit a sworn declaration verifying that the money is dead.
"It doesn't look hard to conscionable constitute a missive saying we're not going to bash it," Cassidy said. "But nonetheless, helium has said that helium is not going to. The president has sent conflicting signals, that's thing that has to beryllium sorted retired earlier the vote."
Trump sometimes "acts arsenic if Congress is simply an appendage"
Cassidy said it is not Congress' occupation to enactment arsenic a rubber stamp connected Mr. Trump's priorities, but astatine the aforesaid time, he's not definite if Mr. Trump understands the separation of powers.
"Sometimes helium acts arsenic if Congress is simply an appendage, and frankly, sometimes Congress acts similar it's an appendage," Cassidy said.
"Congress wants to beryllium work in, and Congress has our rules and procedures that our Founding Fathers acceptable up, and they acceptable it up precisely truthful that determination would not beryllium excessively almighty of an instauration of a presidency designed to bespeak each of the American people, not conscionable the will of 1 person," helium added.
Cassidy is among a fistful of Republican senators who person astatine times been captious of Mr. Trump's argumentation and unit decisions. Three of them, including Cassidy, are either retiring oregon mislaid their primaries to Trump-backed challengers. Asked whether anyone other would beryllium near to clasp the president accountable aft they leave, Cassidy replied, "the elemental reply volition beryllium yes."
"The Senate is simply a abstracted body, abstracted from the presidency. I deliberation we're seeing that," helium said.
Cassidy and Mr. Trump clashed Wednesday erstwhile the president attended a GOP lunch astatine the Capitol. Their testy speech came aft Cassidy voted successful enactment of a warfare powers resolution to bounds Mr. Trump from taking further subject enactment against Iran. Before the meeting, Mr. Trump abruptly canceled a signing ceremony for a bipartisan lodging affordability measure that had overwhelming bipartisan enactment arsenic helium sought to increase pressure connected Senate Republicans to walk a voting regulations measure known arsenic the SAVE America Act. Some of Mr. Trump's different priorities, including backing related to a monolithic caller White House ballroom and the Justice Department's projected "anti-weaponization" fund, besides deed roadblocks successful the precocious chamber.
"I cannot get wrong the president's brain," Cassidy said of Mr. Trump's priorities. "What I deliberation should beryllium the precedence is, however bash you marque beingness much affordable for the American people?"
Cassidy besides told Brennan that aft his dustup with the president, helium passed a enactment to Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, saying he'd see changing his ballot if helium received a briefing connected the war. Witkoff gave him a briefing, and Cassidy past withdrew his enactment for the resolution.
Thursday night, Trump called Cassidy and thanked him for changing his presumption connected the procedural ballot connected the Iran warfare powers solution Wednesday night. Cassidy told CBS that the speech was "positive and looking to physique a moving relationship."
The White House did not respond to a petition for comment.
Work connected Dyslexia
In his last months arsenic a senator, Cassidy is trying to get national enactment for aboriginal involution to assistance kids with dyslexia, and whitethorn instrumentality up Mr. Trump's connection to enactment unneurotic successful the future.
Millions of Americans are dyslexic — up to 20% — according to an estimation cited by the American intelligence association.
And it is simply a origin peculiarly important to Cassidy. His girl is dyslexic and his woman - besides a doc - runs charter schools successful Louisiana with a peculiar program for children who person been diagnosed with the disability.
Cassidy said backing from the national authorities to assistance place and accommodate learning differences tin guarantee kids crossed the state don't endure agelong word consequences.
"If the national authorities benignant of puts a small spot of oomph down it, it's going to happen."
Cassidy besides said, "It makes consciousness if 20% of the children larn to work otherwise and we are not accommodating the quality successful however they larn to read, past they're going to beryllium stuck, and we suffer that societal capital."
He was besides sharply captious of Mr. Trump's disapproval of California Governor Gavin Newsom's disclosure that helium is dyslexic. Mr. Trump said successful a Truth Social posts successful March that Newsom is "dumb" and has a "mental disorder."
"It's harmful," Cassidy said of the rhetoric erstwhile asked what interaction it has connected younger generations. "You should not insult people."
"We should person a acquisition of encouragement," Cassidy said successful the interview.
"If you look astatine immoderate of the radical who are dyslexic, who are truly bright, they conscionable larn to deliberation differently. Charles Schwab describes himself arsenic dyslexic. Charles Schwab is simply a beauteous astute guy, and helium thought differently."
Vaccine diplomacy
Cassidy besides disagreed with Kennedy's efforts to rotation backmost U.S.-led initiatives to assistance extremity illness successful Africa and elsewhere, arguing it undercuts America's nationalist security.
"I powerfully objected to what Bobby did with immunizations overseas," Cassidy said. "That is simply a signifier of brushed power. We are successful a planetary geopolitical contention with China. One happening that's helped america tremendously successful Sub-Saharan Africa is the PEPFAR programme and immunization programs, successful which radical determination convey the United States and are predisposed to enactment with us."
PEPFAR - besides known arsenic the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief - was mostly dismantled successful the aboriginal months of the 2nd Trump Administration arsenic portion of Elon Musk's closure of USAID, which administered parts of the program.
The inaugural was signed into instrumentality by President George W. Bush much than 2 decades agone and saved an estimated 26 cardinal lives by delivering captious medications and acquisition astir the illness according to the State Department.
Kennedy has besides curtailed U.S. information successful GAVI — the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization — which helps immunize radical successful 3rd satellite countries.
"It is amended than sending troops, it's cheaper than sending troops, it's a humane happening to do," helium said. "It's successful the U.S. interest. Bobby was opposed to it due to the fact that helium had immoderate foolish conception astir the dangers of vaccines, but alternatively we see, more, radical are dying of disease. Next, there's not a vaccine for Ebola, but it's, but it's just to accidental that the infrastructure we had helped make successful Africa had been damaged by the changes successful USAID, for example, and that astir apt made america little susceptible of responding."
On the planetary confederation connected vaccines, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said successful a Senate Foreign Relations proceeding connected June 2 that "the State Department's going to beryllium renengaging," and that HHS volition inactive person a role.
"We privation to instrumentality their input, but we'd similar to get this contented resolved and an result that's acceptable some to Congress and besides to our goals connected planetary health," Rubio said.
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