By Ahmed Aboulenein
WASHINGTON, Sept 16 (Reuters) – The U.S. Senate health committee’s Republican chairman on Wednesday blamed the approach toward vaccines taken by President Donald Trump’s administration for recent measles deaths in Pennsylvania and pressed the president’s pick for surgeon general to state plainly that vaccines do not cause autism.
Senator Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana physician who chairs the panel, delivered the critical opening statement as the nation grapples with its worst measles outbreak in more than 35 years. Cassidy said three people in Pennsylvania have died of measles, with a fourth death under review, because of misinformation and misguided policies.
“To suffer from any disease is awful, but to suffer one which is avoidable, that’s even worse,” Cassidy said.
The committee weighed Trump’s nominations of Chris Klomp for deputy secretary of Health and Human Services, Dr. Nicole Saphier for surgeon general and Dr. Timothy Westlake to lead the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Cassidy said the country needs health leaders “who make decisions based on science, not politics or ideology.”
SAPHIER PRESSED ON VACCINE-AUTISM LINK
Cassidy directed his sharpest warning toward Saphier, repeatedly pressing her to say the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine does not cause autism. Saphier initially hedged, saying she had “not seen reputable evidence” that vaccines cause autism.
“That’s a little bit of an equivocation,” Cassidy said, warning that others had used such “wiggle room” to later act against scientific evidence.
Saphier eventually said she did not believe the MMR shot was lethal, calling it “our greatest tool for combating measles,” and said, “I do not believe childhood vaccines cause autism.”
U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has long pushed a debunked link between vaccines and autism, contrary to scientific evidence, which Trump has also embraced.
Cassidy also pressed Saphier on the long-recommended hepatitis B vaccine at birth, which Kennedy wants to stop. Saphier called universal birth dosing “tried and true” but stopped short of saying it should be recommended.
Cassidy said vaccines are “overwhelmingly safe and effective, and they do not cause autism.” He also criticized a Trump executive order breaking up the childhood vaccine schedule for requiring more shots and making children less safe.
SENATOR GROWS MORE CRITICAL
Cassidy has become more openly critical of Kennedy’s efforts to overhaul U.S. vaccine policy despite casting the deciding vote confirming the health secretary to the post with full knowledge of Kennedy’s history of public anti-vaccine activism.
Cassidy is not up for reelection after losing his Republican primary in May. Trump targeted Cassidy and endorsed a rival over the senator’s 2021 vote to convict Trump at his second impeachment trial, making it politically easier for Cassidy to be defiant.
“CDC apparently is working on a definition of death by measles. Someone said we haven’t had to work on that for decades because no one has died from measles, and now we have people dying from measles. That’s going to be a terrible legacy for this administration,” Cassidy said.
HEALTH AGENCIES FACE LEADERSHIP GAP
Saphier, a radiologist and former Fox News contributor, is Trump’s third surgeon general pick, after wellness influencer Casey Means stalled in the Senate and Trump withdrew Dr. Janette Nesheiwat’s nomination over questions about her credentials. The United States has had no surgeon general since January 2025.
Klomp, a former health tech executive, has run much of HHS day-to-day, rising from Medicare director to chief counselor for Kennedy at the agency. The Finance Committee held his formal nomination hearing on Tuesday. Wednesday’s session is a courtesy hearing.
He drew the smoothest reception, with even his toughest Democratic questioners framing disagreements as areas for cooperation. Saphier faced the sharpest scrutiny, including from Cassidy over vaccines and Democrats on abortion. Westlake clashed with Democratic Senator Maggie Hassan over fentanyl test strips.
No Republican signaled a no vote, leaving all three on track to advance.
The hearing addressed the backlog of health vacancies across the administration. The Senate confirmed Dr. Erica Schwartz to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on August 5, while the Food and Drug Administration has lacked a permanent leader since May.
(Reporting by Ahmed AbouleneinEditing by Bill Berkrot and Will Dunham)
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