Trump withdraws CDC nominee Dave Weldon

USA – President Donald Trump has withdrawn his nomination of Dave Weldon to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), just hours before his scheduled Senate confirmation hearing, which has now been canceled.

Weldon, a former Florida congressman and medical doctor, has been criticized for his skepticism about vaccines.

He previously supported the now-debunked claim that vaccines cause autism and proposed a bill to ban the mercury-based preservative thimerosal from vaccines.

His views on vaccines align with those of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has also questioned vaccine safety and has launched a probe into vaccines and medicines since taking office last month.

Reports suggest Weldon lacked the necessary Senate votes for confirmation and had not secured Kennedy’s backing.

According to Axios, Kennedy felt Weldon was “not ready” for the role. The CDC, which has an annual budget of US $17.3 billion and approximately 13,000 employees, has already faced workforce cuts under Elon Musk, who oversees Trump’s government efficiency department (DOGE).

Democratic Senator Patty Murray criticized the nomination, saying on X: “During one of the worst measles outbreaks in years because of Trump, Weldon should NEVER have even been under consideration to lead CDC. While I have little to no confidence in Trump to do so, he should nominate someone who at bare minimum believes in basic science.”

FDA and NIH nominees move forward

While Weldon’s nomination was pulled, Trump’s nominees for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have advanced.

Martin Makary, nominated to lead the FDA, and Jay Bhattacharya, picked for the NIH, both passed the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee.

Makary received a 14-9 vote, with two Democrats siding with Republicans, while Bhattacharya’s vote was split 12-11 along party lines.

With a Republican majority in the Senate, both nominees are likely to be confirmed in the final vote.