CRBC News
Culture
Society
Security
Health
Conflict
Science
Technology
Politics
Environment
Lifestyle
Economy

Cassidy Reaffirms Vaccine Safety but Refuses to Name RFK Jr. After CDC Guidance

Sen. Bill Cassidy declined to single out HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. after Kennedy directed the CDC to revise guidance on vaccines and autism, reaffirming that vaccines are safe and calling anti-vaccine claims a fringe view. Cassidy said undermining established scientific consensus is problematic but resisted joining public recriminations. He emphasized focusing on raising vaccination rates and advancing bipartisan legislation to curb looming health-care cost increases. Cassidy described his bill as returning “power to the patient, not profits to the insurance companies.”

05:42 AM, 11/24/2025Politics
Cassidy Reaffirms Vaccine Safety but Refuses to Name RFK Jr. After CDC Guidance

Senator Bill Cassidy declined to directly criticize HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Sunday after Kennedy asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to revise its guidance on vaccines and autism. Cassidy, a physician and Louisiana Republican, reiterated that vaccines are safe and said President Donald Trump shares that view, but he stopped short of naming Kennedy when pressed.

“It’s actually quite well proven that vaccines are not associated with autism,” Cassidy told CNN host Jake Tapper. “There’s a fringe out there that thinks so, but they’re quite fringe.” He added that anything that undermines the “absolutely scientifically based understanding” that vaccines are safe is a problem.

Cassidy, who was effectively the deciding vote to confirm Kennedy as HHS secretary, said he was initially hesitant to support the nomination because of Kennedy’s prior skepticism about vaccines. During confirmation hearings, Cassidy asked whether Kennedy would accept research that disproved any link between vaccines and autism.

“I watched from my hospital bed as Bobby, in the face of logic and common sense, was confirmed for the position, despite never having worked in medicine, public health, or the government,” wrote Tatiana Schlossberg as she revealed her terminal illness. “Suddenly, the health-care system on which I relied felt strained, shaky.”

When Tapper pressed Cassidy to explicitly denounce Kennedy by name, the senator pushed back, saying the interviewer was seeking a negative soundbite. “Of course it makes news if Republicans fight each other. I get that,” Cassidy said. “But I'm all about, how do we make America healthy? And I speak as a physician, and I don't think the tit for tat is what people are about.” He also called Schlossberg’s essay “a good essay” and said he was not minimizing the significance of changes at the CDC.

Rather than joining in public recriminations, Cassidy said his focus is practical: increasing vaccination rates and crafting legislation to protect Americans from rising health-care costs — especially as certain Obamacare subsidies are expected to lapse later in the year. He said he has discussed longer-term solutions with other Republicans, including Senator Rick Scott of Florida.

Describing the aim of the proposed legislation, Cassidy said it will give “power to the patient, not profits to the insurance companies.” He concluded that moving beyond partisan back-and-forth to focus on substantive policy would better serve the public.

What’s next: Cassidy plans to continue pressing for measures that encourage vaccination uptake and to advance his cost-containment bill with Republican colleagues. The debate over CDC guidance and the HHS secretary’s role is likely to continue drawing attention from both public-health advocates and political critics.

Similar Articles

Trending