Washington, DC – Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement on Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s decision to remove all 17 members of the CDC’s expert panel of vaccine advisers.
“This is a dangerous decision – and one that unfortunately, was predictable. Since Secretary Kennedy’s first disastrous appearance before our committee, it was clear he was unfit to lead our public health programs and keep Americans safe. In March, I asked Secretary Kennedy if he would commit to keeping current ACIP members on the committee after postponing their first meeting of the year. He never responded.
“This move will sow doubt and mistrust in vaccines and stifle innovation. Let’s be clear: this committee is not a rubber stamp for the industry. It is a group of expert doctors, pediatricians, scientists, and parents whose goal is to keep our communities safe. Secretary Kennedy is wholly mischaracterizing ‘conflicts of interest’ and causing confusion for parents, pregnant women, caretakers, doctors, and insurers.
“This is a sobering reminder that when an inexperienced and under-qualified vaccine skeptic is given the power to damage our public health systems, the American people are put at risk. With cases of avian flu and measles on the rise, we need a health leader that does not ignore science, rather embraces it. From my position on the Senate HELP Committee, I’ll be doing everything in my power to investigate and reverse this decision.”
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Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester represents Delaware in the United States Senate where she serves on the Committees on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; Commerce, Science, and Transportation; Environment and Public Works; and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.