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Details connected CDC director's refusal to measurement down
Washington — Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican who chairs the Senate Committee connected Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, called connected the Department of Health and Human Services Thursday to "indefinitely postpone" its vaccine advisory committee gathering adjacent period amid a slew of departures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"If the gathering proceeds, immoderate recommendations made should beryllium rejected arsenic lacking legitimacy fixed the seriousness of the allegations and the existent turmoil successful CDC leadership," Cassidy said successful a statement.
File: Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Services, speaks with Sen. Bill Cassidy aft testifying successful his Senate Committee connected Health, Education, Labor and Pensions confirmation proceeding connected Jan. 30, 2025 successful Washington, DC.
Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images
The Trump medication is trying to occurrence CDC Director Susan Monarez, little than a period aft she was confirmed by the Senate, though her lawyers person pushed backmost connected the legality of her ouster.
Meanwhile, respective different apical CDC officials resigned Wednesday, pointing to disagreements with the Trump medication implicit its vaccine policy, among different things.
The agenda for the Sept. 18 vaccine advisory committee gathering is acceptable to see discussions of vaccines for COVID-19, Hepatitis B, RSV and the MMRV measles, mumps, rubella, varicella vaccine, and could entail scheduling votes connected recommendations for these vaccines.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said helium wouldn't remark connected unit issues successful an quality connected Fox News Thursday, but claimed that "the CDC has problems," citing COVID-19 protocols among them.
"We request to look astatine the priorities of the agency, if there's truly a deeply, profoundly embedded, I would say, malaise astatine the agency," Kennedy said. "And we request beardown enactment that volition spell successful determination and that volition beryllium capable to execute connected President Trump's wide ambitions."
In June, Kennedy said helium was "retiring" each 17 members of the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices, autarkic aesculapian and nationalist wellness experts who counsel and ballot connected the CDC's vaccine recommendations. Kennedy replaced the committee members with 8 of his ain picks.
Cassidy's telephone to postpone the vaccine gathering is the 2nd he's made nether Kennedy's enactment — aft helium did the aforesaid successful June — and represents a interruption with the HHS secretary. In February, Kennedy's confirmation to the station came lone aft Cassidy delivered the cardinal ballot to beforehand the information retired of committee. The Louisiana Republican, a aesculapian doctor, had expressed misgivings implicit Kennedy's information due to the fact that of the doubts helium has raised astir vaccines for decades.
Cassidy yet supported Kennedy's nomination, citing "serious commitments" helium said he'd received from the administration. He aboriginal said Kennedy and the medication had agreed that helium would talk with the caput aggregate times a month, and the brace "would person an unprecedentedly adjacent collaborative moving relationship."
In his connection Thursday, Cassidy said allegations person been made astir the vaccine gathering "agenda, membership, and deficiency of technological process being followed."
"These decisions straight interaction children's wellness and the gathering should not hap until important oversight has been conducted," the Louisiana legislator said.
Cassidy said successful a station connected X aft quality of the CDC departures Wednesday that the "high illustration departures volition necessitate oversight by the HELP Committee."
Ranking Member Bernie Sanders sent a missive to Cassidy Thursday calling for a bipartisan probe into Monarez's firing. The Vermont legislator besides urged the president to clasp a proceeding with Kennedy, Monarez and the CDC leaders who stepped down.
"The American radical should perceive straight from Secretary Kennedy and Dr. Monarez and each subordinate of our committee should beryllium capable to inquire questions and get honorable answers from them," Sanders said.
The Senate Finance Committee announced a proceeding adjacent Thursday with Secretary Kennedy connected President Trump's wellness attraction agenda. The proceeding was antecedently successful the works anterior to controversy, according to a committee aide, who noted the sheet does not person jurisdiction implicit the CDC.
A fistful of legislature Democrats person called for Kennedy to resign oregon beryllium fired implicit the wide exodus from the wellness agency.
"We cannot fto RFK Jr. pain what's near of the CDC and our different captious wellness agencies to the ground—he indispensable beryllium fired," Sen. Patty Murray of Washington said successful a statement.
The White House defended Kennedy and the determination to terminate Monarez. White House property caput Karoline Leavitt said a replacement would beryllium named by the president oregon the HHS secretary.
"The caput asked her to resign – she said she would and past she didn't, truthful the president fired her, which helium has each close to do," Leavitt told reporters. "If radical are not aligned with the president's imaginativeness and the secretary's imaginativeness to marque this state steadfast again, past we volition gladly amusement them the door."
- United States Department of Health and Human Services
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Bill Cassidy
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Kaia Hubbard is simply a authorities newsman for CBS News Digital, based successful Washington, D.C.
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