The Trump administration withdrew its nominee for the CDC at the last minute over concerns that the Senate would not confirm him.
Dr. Dave Weldon, a former Republican congressman, was abruptly pulled ahead of a scheduled Senate hearing on Thursday. Weldon's criticism of vaccines gave some Republican senators pause, and the White House decided to part ways with him.
"Twelve hours before my scheduled confirmation hearing in The Senate, I received a phone call from an assistant at the White House informing me that my nomination to be Director of CDC was being withdrawn because there were not enough votes to get me confirmed," Weldon said in a statement.
Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also faced hurdles over vaccine skepticism during his confirmation process, but he made it through after Republican senator Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, decided to support him.
Axios reported that Kennedy did not believe Weldon was ready to lead the CDC. But Weldon said Kennedy is "very upset" that his nomination was pulled.
"Bobby Kennedy is a good man who really is passionate about improving the health of the American people," Weldon said.
"President Trump did a good thing in making him secretary of HHS. Hopefully they can find someone for CDC who can survive the confirmation process and get past pharma and find some answers."
As a congressman from Florida, Weldon supported legislation to ban mercury in vaccines. Skeptics of vaccines have long pointed to mercury as a causal link between vaccination and autism in children.
Weldon blamed the failure of his nomination on influence from the pharmaceutical industry. He said staffers for Republican Senator Susan Collins (Me.) were "hostile" towards him over his vaccine views, and that Cassidy was similarly dismissive.
“I was looking forward to the hearing,” Cassidy said in a statement. “His poor response to this situation shows that the pressures of being CDC director would have been too much.”
Some Republicans also expressed concern that Weldon was not prepared to be CDC director. Weldon reportedly said he was busy running his medical practice and did not have time to study a job he might not get.
The next CDC director will be tasked with rebuilding public trust in the agency, which faced widespread criticism over its shifting guidance during the COVID pandemic.
