On Monday, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) expressed concern over the dismissal of 17 U.S. experts by Health and Human Services Director Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who criticized the U.S. vaccine panel as “excessive” for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) but noted she needed more information on the decision.
Kennedy revealed his decision in a Wall Street Journal Op-Ed that might surprise many GOP lawmakers.
“I had no idea this happened,” remarked Collins, a senior member of the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pension (HELP) Committee. “It seems excessive to ask everyone to resign, but I can’t comment since I don’t know who he’s bringing in.”
The Maine Senator mentioned that the CDC’s Vaccine Advisory Committee “provided valuable guidance to the public on necessary actions.”
Collins stated that Kennedy did not assure members of the HELP Committee that he would retain vaccine experts.
“I’m learning about this for the first time,” she stated. “I don’t understand the rationale behind it.”
Kennedy wrote in his Wall Street Journal piece that President Trump had to remove the experts to reshape the committee’s membership.
“If we hadn’t removed the current members, the Trump administration wouldn’t have been able to appoint a majority of new members until 2028,” he indicated.
Kennedy asserted that vaccines have turned into “a contentious topic in American politics,” with declining public trust in health agencies, pharmaceutical companies, and the vaccine itself.
“That’s why, under my leadership, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services prioritizes restoring public trust over any professional or anti-vaccine agenda. The public must understand that impartial science influences our health agencies’ recommendations.”
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer (NY) criticized Kennedy’s actions in a statement, calling them “reckless.”
“RFK Jr. and the Trump administration are damaging a program designed to keep Americans safe and healthy. The experts who dedicated their lives to safeguarding children from deadly diseases are not the issue. This is reckless, radical, and rooted in conspiracy.”
Source: thehill.com