By Ahmed Aboulenein
WASHINGTON, Sept 16 (Reuters) – The Republican chairman of the U.S. Senate health committee on Wednesday blamed the Trump administration’s approach to vaccines for recent measles deaths in Pennsylvania and pressed the president’s pick for surgeon general to state plainly that vaccines do not cause autism.
Senator Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana physician who chairs the panel, delivered the critical opening statement as the nation grapples with its worst measles outbreak in more than 35 years. He said three people in Pennsylvania had died of measles, with a fourth death under review, because of misinformation and misguided policies.
“To suffer from any disease is awful, but to suffer one which is avoidable, that’s even worse,” Cassidy said.
The committee is weighing Chris Klomp for deputy secretary of Health and Human Services, Dr. Nicole Saphier for surgeon general, and Dr. Timothy Westlake to lead the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Cassidy said the country needs health leaders “who make decisions based on science, not politics or ideology.”
SAPHIER PRESSED ON VACCINE-AUTISM LINK
Cassidy directed his sharpest warning toward Saphier, repeatedly pressing her to say the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine does not cause autism. Saphier initially hedged, saying she had “not seen reputable evidence” that vaccines cause autism.
“That’s a little bit of an equivocation,” Cassidy said, warning that others had used such “wiggle room” to later act against scientific evidence.
Saphier eventually said she did not believe the MMR shot was lethal, calling it “our greatest tool for combating measles,” and said, “I do not believe childhood vaccines cause autism.”
U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has long pushed a debunked link between vaccines and autism, contrary to scientific evidence, which Trump has also embraced.
Cassidy also pressed Saphier on the long-recommended hepatitis B vaccine at birth, which Kennedy wants to stop. Saphier called universal birth dosing “tried and true” but stopped short of saying it should be recommended, adding she was “open to future discussions.”
Cassidy said vaccines are “overwhelmingly safe and effective, and they do not cause autism.” He also criticized an executive order breaking up the childhood vaccine schedule for requiring more shots and making children less safe.
REPUBLICAN SENATOR GROWS MORE CRITICAL
Cassidy has become more openly critical of Kennedy’s efforts to overhaul U.S. vaccine policy despite casting the deciding vote confirming the health secretary to the post with full knowledge of Kennedy’s history of public anti-vaccine activism.
Cassidy is not up for reelection after losing his Republican primary in May. Trump targeted Cassidy and endorsed a rival over the senator’s 2021 vote to convict at Trump’s second impeachment trial, making it politically easier for Cassidy to be defiant.
“CDC apparently is working on a definition of death by measles. Someone said we haven’t had to work on that for decades because no one has died from measles, and now we have people dying from measles. That’s going to be a terrible legacy for this administration,” Cassidy said.
Both Saphier and Westlake told Democratic Senator Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire they would follow the law over Trump’s orders if the two conflicted. Hassan asked Klomp the same question during a Tuesday hearing.
HEALTH AGENCIES FACE LEADERSHIP GAP
Saphier, a radiologist and former Fox News contributor, is Trump’s third surgeon general pick, after wellness influencer Casey Means stalled in the Senate and Trump withdrew Dr. Janette Nesheiwat’s nomination over questions about her credentials. The U.S. has had no surgeon general since January 2025.
Klomp, a former health tech executive, has run much of HHS day-to-day, rising from Medicare director to chief counselor for Kennedy at the agency. The Finance Committee held his formal nomination hearing on Tuesday. Wednesday’s session is a courtesy hearing.
The hearing is addressing the backlog of health vacancies across the administration. The Senate confirmed Dr. Erica Schwartz to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on August 5, while the Food and Drug Administration has lacked a permanent leader since May.
(Reporting by Ahmed AbouleneinEditing by Bill Berkrot)
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