White House Pulls CDC Nominee Dr. Dave Weldon Before Senate Hearing

FRIDAY, March 14, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Hours before his scheduled Senate confirmation, the White House has withdrawn the nomination of Dr. Dave Weldon to lead the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Weldon, a Republican and former congressman, said he was told Wednesday night that his nomination would not move forward because there were not enough votes for confirmation.

He later blamed Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) for the decision, though Collins denied directly opposing him.

“I did not express concerns to the White House. I had some reservations, but I certainly had not reached a final judgment,” Collins told The New York Times.

The move is a setback for newly appointed Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has known Weldon for 25 years.

Both have been skeptical of federal vaccine policies. Kennedy, who is now dealing with measles outbreaks in Texas and 11 other states, has drawn criticism for promoting alternative treatments for the virus like vitamin A and cod liver oil.

“It is a shock, but, you know, in some ways, it’s relief,” Weldon said, according to The Times. “Government jobs demand a lot of you, and if God doesn’t want me in it, I’m fine with that.”

The CDC is currently led by acting director Susan Monarez, and no replacement for Weldon has been announced.

Meanwhile, the Senate Health Committee advanced two other nominees: Dr. Jayanta Bhattacharya to head the National Institutes of Health and Dr. Martin Makary for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

A confirmation hearing for Dr. Mehmet Oz, nominated to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, is scheduled for Friday.

Weldon has been criticized for questioning vaccine safety, particularly regarding the measles vaccine.

He previously praised Andrew Wakefield, a discredited researcher who falsely linked vaccines to autism.

Weldon also advocated for moving the vaccine safety office out of CDC control, citing conflicts of interest.

In addition to his vaccine views, Weldon is a strong opponent of abortion.

His most notable legislative achievement, the Weldon Amendment, prevents health agencies from requiring hospitals or insurers to provide abortion services.

Like Kennedy, Weldon has also questioned the need for childhood hepatitis B vaccinations, arguing that the disease is mainly transmitted sexually and affects adults.

In an interview with The New York Times in late November, Weldon claimed to have worked to remove mercury from childhood vaccines.

The CDC has published research showing mercury in vaccines has caused no harm, but Weldon alleged that the agency had “incorrectly manipulated the data to exonerate themselves.”

If confirmed, he said he planned to “quietly investigate” these claims within the CDC’s database.