Key Senate Republican Rips RFK Jr.’s Slashed Vaccine Schedule: ‘Will Make America Sicker’

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Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) criticized the CDC’s decision to scale-back its childhood vaccine schedule on Monday — a move spearheaded by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — saying it would cause “unnecessary fear” and “will make America sicker.”

Cassidy shared his thoughts in an X post a few hours after the CDC announced it had overhauled the vax schedule for kids.

The government said it will continue to recommend vaccines for polio, measles, mumps, HPV, and other diseases. But recommendations for COVID-19 and flu vaccines will now be recommended based on what a child’s doctor recommends, the HHS said.

“Trust in U.S. public health declined from 72% to 40% between 2020 and 2024, coinciding with public health failure during the pandemic, including COVID-19 vaccine mandates,” The Department of Health and Human Services said in its announcement. “Though the COVID-19 vaccine was recommended for all children on the CDC schedule, the uptake rate was less than 10% by 2023. The uptake rate of other childhood vaccines declined during the same time period.”

Sen. Cassidy — without calling out RFK Jr. by name — said he was not a fan of the revised schedule.

“As a doctor who treated patients for decades, my top priority is protecting children and families,” Cassidy wrote. “Multiple children have died or were hospitalized from measles, and South Carolina continues to face a growing outbreak. Two children have died in my state from whooping cough. All of this was preventable with safe and effective vaccines.”

He continued, “The vaccine schedule IS NOT A MANDATE. It’s a recommendation giving parents the power. Changing the pediatric vaccine schedule based on no scientific input on safety risks and little transparency will cause unnecessary fear for patients and doctors, and will make America sicker.”

Cassidy earned his medical degree from LSU and worked as a physician before joining Congress.

Earlier in the day, HHS Secretary Jim O’Neill, who is acting CDC director, said a scientific assessment found the U.S. was a “global outlier” when it came to how many childhood vaccines were recommended. The assessment was ordered by President Donald Trump in December.

“After an exhaustive review of the evidence, we are aligning the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule with international consensus while strengthening transparency and informed consent,” Kennedy said in an accompanying statement. “This decision protects children, respects families, and rebuilds trust in public health.”