White House Withdraws Key Nominee After Concerns Emerge

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The White House has withdrawn Dr. David Weldon’s nomination for CDC director after controversial views on vaccines left him without enough Senate support for confirmation.

Quick Takes

  • Dr. David Weldon’s nomination was pulled ahead of his scheduled Thursday confirmation hearing when it became clear he lacked sufficient Senate votes.
  • Weldon, a former Florida congressman and medical doctor, has questioned vaccines and introduced legislation to ban mercury in them.
  • This would have been the first time a CDC director required Senate confirmation.
  • The withdrawal comes amid an ongoing measles outbreak in the United States.
  • Other Trump health nominees, including Dr. Jay Bhattacharya for NIH and Dr. Marty Makary for FDA, are still advancing through confirmation.

Nomination Withdrawn After Lack of Senate Support

The White House has abandoned its effort to install Dr. David Weldon as the next Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director, pulling his nomination just hours before his scheduled confirmation hearing. Sources familiar with the situation indicated that the administration recognized there weren’t enough votes in the Senate to confirm Weldon, making the nomination process “a futile effort.” The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee had planned to hold Weldon’s confirmation hearing on Thursday but canceled it once the nomination was withdrawn.

Weldon, who served as a Republican congressman from Florida from 1995 to 2009, is a medical doctor who has previously expressed skepticism about vaccines. His views on the subject became a critical sticking point for senators considering his nomination. While the committee canceled Weldon’s confirmation hearing, it will still move forward with votes on other Trump health administration nominees, including Dr. Jay Bhattacharya for the National Institutes of Health and Dr. Marty Makary for the Food and Drug Administration.

Controversial Statements Derailed Nomination

Weldon’s nomination ran into trouble primarily due to his past statements and legislative actions regarding vaccines. During his time in Congress, Weldon introduced legislation to ban mercury from vaccines and in 2007 questioned potential links between them and childhood neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism. These positions have put him at odds with the scientific consensus on safety and made his nomination particularly controversial, especially as the nation currently faces a measles outbreak in several states.

Weldon had also co-authored a “vaccine safety bill” with Rep. Carolyn Maloney in 2007, which aimed to create an independent agency for safety research. His nomination was supported by allies of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Opposition from Senate Democrats

Democratic senators voiced strong concerns about Weldon’s nomination, with Senator Patty Murray being particularly vocal in her opposition. After meeting with Weldon last month, Murray expressed alarm over his continued belief in what she described as “debunked claims about vaccines.” She warned that placing someone with such views in charge of the CDC could potentially undermine public health efforts, especially as the country deals with the current measles outbreak.

The nomination of Weldon represented a historic moment, as this would have been the first time a CDC director required Senate confirmation. Previously, the position was appointed directly by the president without the need for Senate approval. The withdrawal highlights the challenges the Trump administration faces in filling key health positions with nominees who align with its views while still being able to secure Senate approval in a narrowly divided chamber.

Sources:

  1. White House pulls nomination of David Weldon as CDC director
  2. Live updates: Trump meets with NATO secretary general
  3. White House pulls CDC nominee because they didn’t have the votes: Sources

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