USA: The fallout from David Weldon’s withdrawn CDC nomination

The abrupt withdrawal of Dr David Weldon’s nomination to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) highlights the ongoing political and financial entanglements that shape public health policy.

Weldon, a former congressman and internist, was informed just twelve hours before his scheduled Senate confirmation hearing on 13 March that his nomination was being pulled due to insufficient support.

The decision, reportedly made by the White House after realising they lacked the votes, raises critical questions about the rigidity of political gatekeeping in public health leadership.

Weldon’s nomination was doomed by concerns over his past inquiries into vaccine safety. As he explained in his statement, he was repeatedly accused of being ‘anti-vax,’ despite never claiming that vaccines cause autism.

In today’s political climate, however, even a small, measured scepticism about certain vaccines is enough to disqualify someone from holding public office.

The issue of whether vaccines cause autism is considered settled by the medical establishment. As Senator Bill Cassidy stated during Jay Bhattacharya’s confirmation hearing, conducting further studies on the matter would be “wasting” resources on research that already confirms what we know.

While this argument has some merit (since research funding is finite and often squandered), Bhattacharya countered with a crucial point: vaccines are a public health intervention, and the public must have confidence in them.

If people do not trust the data, then the government has a responsibility to present more evidence to convince them. Refusing to engage in further study only fuels scepticism and deepens public distrust.

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Source: Maryanne Demasi, 14 March 2025