DeLauro Statement on HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy’s Assault on Vaccine Science
WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) released a statement in response to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy’s politically motivated assault on vaccine science at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
“Secretary Kennedy’s purge of vaccine scientists at the CDC, including the entire Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, along with the resignation of one of our nation’s top experts on vaccine science Dr. Fiona Havers, is sobering for anyone who cares about public health and scientific integrity. The death toll caused by this move will be catastrophic and far-reaching as diseases and preventable illnesses strike and the United States is caught flat-footed. But do not take my word for it, several of the recently fired experts wrote a chilling piece in the Journal of America Medicine (JAMA) that the ‘destabilizing decisions … impact people’s access to lifesaving vaccines, and ultimately put U.S. families at risk of dangerous and preventable illnesses.’
“Secretary Kennedy’s actions make clear his objective: to do away with science and replace it with fringe ideologues, quack conspiracy theorists, and pseudo-science that endangers public health. He has handpicked a new slate of advisors to shape national vaccine policy – a slate of advisors who share his ideological belief of undermining vaccine safety, spreading misinformation, and opposing evidence-based public health strategies. He claims this action will restore public trust in vaccines, but it is anti-scientific.
“Some of the individuals Kennedy has installed have falsely claimed COVID vaccines kill children. Others have actively supported removing lifesaving vaccine recommendations for pregnant women and infants. These individuals have no place guiding national vaccine policy particularly when their disdain for vaccine science is so clear.
“This will destabilize our public health system – a system that has protected generations of Americans from polio, measles, influenza, and more. We cannot allow Secretary Kennedy to trash vaccine science and undermine decades of progress – it will put lives at risk. I am committed to protecting the health and safety of the American people.”
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