On Wednesday’s broadcast of “Elizabeth Vargas Reports,” Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) stated that the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) “has kind of tossed the consensus of science out the window,” and he is “very uncomfortable with the rationale they’re using for their decisions.”
Host Hena Doba asked, “You have been one of the most vocal Republicans pressing RFK Jr. on vaccines in recent hearings. You also said, just last month, that parents should not have confidence in the vaccine advisory panel if it’s reshaped under Kennedy appointees. That’s a strong statement. Do you still stand by that, Senator?”
Cassidy answered, “The ACIP, right now, has kind of tossed the consensus of science out the window, not entirely. There are some things that they are pressing upon, but not yet have changed. But I am very uncomfortable with the rationale they’re using for their decisions. I continue to encourage parents to speak to your child’s pediatrician. But vaccines are safe and effective. I have seen — I’m a doctor — I have seen children and adults die from vaccine-preventable diseases. When I used to speak to the older pediatricians, they said, before the measles vaccine, there were hospital wards filled with children there with complications of measles. We’ve had two children die in West Texas from measles, a vaccine-preventable disease. So, anything which suggests that the vaccines are not safe and effective and that the benefit of taking is much, much greater than the risk of taking is misleading. And we’ve been hearing a lot of misleading talk.”
Cassidy added that President Trump himself has supported vaccines, noted that Trump got the flu and COVID vaccines as part of his recent physical, and noted that Operation Warp Speed was a Trump administration initiative. He also said that Kennedy supported vaccinating children for measles.
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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