Kennedy Refuses to Commit to Backing New C.D.C. Director on Vaccines

Kennedy Refuses to Commit to Backing New C.D.C. Director on Vaccines

In a tense congressional hearing, the health secretary also said he bore no responsibility for the measles outbreak in the United States.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/21/us/politics/rfk-jr-vaccines-erica-schwartz.html

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Tuesday refused to commit to supporting the vaccine recommendations of President Trump’s nominee to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The nominee, Dr. Erica Schwartz, has publicly supported immunizations and drawn applause from mainstream public health leaders.

“I’m not going to make that kind of commitment,” Mr. Kennedy replied. In response to other questions from Dr. Ruiz, a physician, Mr. Kennedy said that he approved of Dr. Schwartz’s nomination and had spoken to her multiple times, but had not spoken directly to Mr. Trump about her selection.

During the hearing before the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Mr. Kennedy pushed back on Democrats’ assertions that he bore some responsibility for the measles outbreak in the United States, the worst the country has experienced in decades. He told members of the panel that the outbreak is global, that it started before he took office and that those who were sick were mostly 5 or older, which meant their parents had decided against vaccination before he was in office.

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“It’s real life, Mr. Secretary, and you have blood on your hands,” said Representative Marc Veasey, Democrat of Texas. He noted that Mr. Kennedy’s lengthy opening statement had made no mention of vaccines, “which is odd, because you’ve basically spent your entire career and life trying to shatter American trust in vaccines.”

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Dispicable PoS.