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WASHINGTON − President Trump abruptly pulled his nominee to head the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday morning just before a scheduled Senate confirmation hearing.
A source familiar with the discussions said Trump withdrew David Weldon's nomination because he did not have the votes to be confirmed.
He was scheduled to appear before the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee at 10 am. The committee announced a little before 9:30 am that Weldon's hearing was being canceled because his nomination had been withdrawn.
Trump announced his intent to nominate Weldon to head the CDC in November just after he was elected.
Weldon has a history of vaccine skepticism. The physician and former congressman has pushed a debunked link between the measles vaccine and autism. He was expected to say in testimony to the Senate that children should receive the measles vaccine, according to a Bloomberg report.
Public Citizen Health Research Group Director Dr. Robert Steinbrook issued the following statement:
“Dave Weldon has dangerous anti-vaccine views. The CDC director must be a forceful advocate for the critical importance of vaccines in preventing disease and promoting public health. Although the specific reasons his nomination was pulled are not known, the Trump Administration now has the opportunity to nominate a better-qualified person.
The measles outbreak in Texas and New Mexico has grown to over 250 cases, with two deaths including an unvaccinated child. Anti-vaccine rhetoric and extremism should have no role in the federal government.”
