GOP Senator Condemns Trump Admin Over RFK-Led Attacks on Vaccines: ‘Wrong, Irresponsible’ and Making ‘Americans Sicker’

(CNN screenshots)

Senate Health Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy (R-LA) condemned the Trump administration’s latest attack on vaccines on Thursday, arguing that they’re “wrong, irresponsible” and making “Americans sicker.”

Cassidy’s comments come one day after the Centers for Disease Control altered language on its website to remove the statement that “there is no link” between vaccines and autism. The site now reads:

• The claim “vaccines do not cause autism” is not an evidence-based claim because studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism.
• Studies supporting a link have been ignored by health authorities.
• HHS has launched a comprehensive assessment of the causes of autism, including investigations on plausible biologic mechanisms and potential causal links.

The webpage goes on to state that “Scientific studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines contribute to the development of autism. However, this statement has historically been disseminated by the CDC and other federal health agencies within HHS to prevent vaccine hesitancy.”

Cassidy, who eventually supported longtime vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination to lead the Department of Health and Human Services after expressing concern about it, had strong words for Kennedy on Thursday.

“I’m a doctor who has seen people die from vaccine-preventable diseases. What parents need to hear right now is vaccines for measles, polio, hepatitis B and other childhood diseases are safe and effective and will not cause autism. Any statement to the contrary is wrong, irresponsible, and actively makes Americans sicker,” wrote Cassidy on X.  “We need to understand the real causes of autism. Studies show there’s a genetic predisposition when a mom who’s pregnant is exposed to environmental toxins which can increase a child’s risk of autism. It’s deeply troubling that, according to HHS officials, they appeared to have canceled hundreds of millions in research on autism genetics. Redirecting attention to factors we definitely know DO NOT cause autism denies families the answers they deserve.”

“We had two children die and many more hospitalized nationally from measles this year. Louisiana is experiencing its worst whooping cough outbreak in 35 years. Families are getting sick and people are dying from vaccine-preventable deaths, and that tragedy needs to stop,” he concluded.