Updated
Updated · USA TODAY · Jul 26
Cassidy Slams CDC Autism-Vaccine Language, Saying Decades of Evidence Show No Link
Updated
Updated · USA TODAY · Jul 26

Cassidy Slams CDC Autism-Vaccine Language, Saying Decades of Evidence Show No Link

2 articles · Updated · USA TODAY · Jul 26

Summary

  • Sen. Bill Cassidy said the CDC’s website wrongly states it is “not an evidence-based claim” that vaccines do not cause autism, calling the language an “insult” that could fuel parental hesitancy.
  • On CNN’s “State of the Union,” the Louisiana Republican said decades of science have firmly established that vaccines do not cause autism and argued the agency should say so plainly.
  • Cassidy, chair of the Senate HELP Committee and a longtime vaccine advocate, has repeatedly pressed Trump administration health officials on vaccine safety, including during Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s confirmation fight.
  • The criticism adds to Cassidy’s broader clashes with Trump’s health agenda, though he said he will back surgeon general nominee Erica Schwartz after Trump withdrew 2 earlier picks.

Insights

What specific methodological issues prompted the CDC to alter its long-standing medical consensus on vaccine safety?
How will the CDC's revised language on autism and vaccines impact national childhood immunization rates?
How can healthcare providers maintain patient trust when federal health messaging contradicts decades of medical research?