Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) encouraged Americans to get vaccinated despite an update to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
The CDC website’s new subject heading, “Vaccines do not cause autism,” was displayed this week, even though it is followed by the line, “The claim ‘vaccines do not cause autism’ is not an evidence-based claim because studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism.”
At the time of the additional language, Cassidy, as a physician himself, made a veiled swipe at the update in a post on X. Cassidy appeared on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday to discuss it further.
“Anything that undermines the understanding, the correct understanding, the absolute scientifically based understanding that vaccines are safe and that, if you don’t take them, you’re putting your child or yourself in greater danger, anything that undermines that message is a problem,” Cassidy said when asked about the website.
“The fact is, the scientific community agrees that vaccines are safe,” Cassidy added. “Talk to your physician. Keep your family safe. Don‘t be misled. Don‘t let your child be one of those who dies who wouldn‘t have died had your child been vaccinated. That‘s all I can say. Speaking as a physician, as a parent, and a grandparent, there are things more important than ideology.”
The heading on the website hasn’t “been removed due to an agreement with the chair of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee that it would remain on the CDC website,” according to the CDC.
Cassidy was the deciding vote to nominate Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has long speculated about the adverse effects of vaccines. Shortly after Kennedy’s confirmation, Cassidy gave a speech outlining that Kennedy and Vice President JD Vance had assured him that the incoming HHS secretary would not make changes to vaccines without consulting his office. According to the senator, Kennedy promised to “maintain” the advisory panel “without changes.”
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“[These website changes] are important because you need to send a consistent signal that vaccines are safe. I‘ll just say that. And again, President Trump agrees that vaccines are safe and important and that that should not be undermined,” Cassidy said. “What we should be focused on right now is how do we make America healthy?”
President Donald Trump has supported several anti-vaccine talking points, such as his desire to “break up” the measles, mumps, and rubella, or MMR vaccine and delay the infant dose of the hepatitis B vaccine to age 12.
