‘We are denying people vaccine.’ Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana. Cassidy is a physician.
At a Finance Committee hearing September 4, senators on both sides of the aisle lambasted Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., claiming he had broken his promise not to restrict vaccine access.
Several senators loudly vocalized their concerns about Kennedy’s firing of all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices — ACIP — and replacing the panel with eight members of his own choosing. Several of Kennedy’s ACIP panel picks are believed to be anti-vaccine.
ACIP will meet Sept. 18-19 to issue guidance for several vaccines, including Covid-19, Hepatitis-B, measles, mumps, and rubella, and others. American Community Media will host a news briefing September 26 with a panel of experts who will offer guidance on ACIP’s recommendations.
Three West Coast states — California, Oregon, and Washington — announced this week they were forming the “West Coast Health Alliance” to deliver credible information about vaccines “based on science, not politics,” according to a news release. Hawaii has also joined the alliance.
Conversely, Florida became the first state in the nation to end vaccine mandates for its school children. Unvaccinated children will be allowed to attend school, under Florida’s new guidance.
Confusing guidance
Senators also expressed concern about the abrupt firing of former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Susan Monarez. Kennedy defended the decision, saying that Monarez had “lied” to him about her trustworthiness.
Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who is a physician, was one of the most vocal critics during the three hour hearing. Cassidy read out a letter from a constituent whose wife has Stage 4 cancer. “Thanks to the current mess at HHS, CVS pharmacy is unable to get her a Covid vaccine,” he read from the letter.
Cassidy read another letter from a physician friend. “Hey, Bill, I’m not even sure what I’m asking you. But we’re all confused and concerned about who can get the COVID vaccine. There’s no firm guidance and concern about liability if vaccines are given to a patient who requests it but is not on the current CDC recommended list. Pharmacists are requiring a prescription now even for patients over 65, creating a huge headache.”
”We are denying people vaccine,” stated Cassidy.
Funding cuts
He noted that Kennedy had cancelled $500 million in research funding for mRNA vaccines, the most commonly-used vaccines around the globe during the Covid-19 pandemic. Kennedy shot back repeatedly during the hearing, saying that mRNA vaccines were associated with myocarditis and pericarditis in teenagers.
A recent bulletin from the CDC noted that myocarditis and pericarditis cases are rare and largely resolve themselves after a few days.
Cassidy had been critical of Kennedy during his confirmation hearings in January but ended up supporting his nomination nonetheless.
Senate Republican Whip John Barasso, a physician from Wyoming, said he was worried about Kennedy’s vaccine stance. “Over the last 50 years, vaccines are estimated to have saved 154 million lives worldwide. I support vaccines. I’m a doctor. Vaccines work,” he said.
“In your confirmation hearings, you promised to uphold the highest standards for vaccines. Since then, I’ve grown deeply concerned,” said Barasso, noting outbreaks of measles, the CDC firing, and HHS leadership expressing concern about mRNA vaccines.
Undermining public health
“Americans don’t know who to rely on,” said Barasso, adding that 81 percent of Republican voters believe vaccine recommendations should come from trained physicians, scientists, and public health experts. “If we’re going to make America healthy again, we can’t allow public health to be undermined,” he stated.
“There are real concerns that safe, proven vaccines like measles, like Hepatitis-B, and others could be in jeopardy. And that would put Americans at risk and reverse decades of progress,” said Barasso. He sought assurance from Kennedy that ACIP’s recommendations would be based on science, not politics.
Kennedy dodged the question, noting that — when he was a child — only three vaccines were required. Today’s children must take about 92 vaccines to be compliant, he said.
“We’re going to go back and do observational studies on the existing vaccines to see if they’re linked to any of these chronic disease epidemics so that people can understand the risk profile of those products and make good assessments for their own health,” said Kennedy.
