During a September 16, 2026, Senate confirmation hearing, Republican Senator Bill Cassidy blamed the Trump administration's vaccine-skeptical policies for recent measles deaths in Pennsylvania. Cassidy pressed surgeon general nominee Dr. Nicole Saphier and deputy HHS secretary nominee Chris Klomp to affirm scientific consensus. Both nominees distanced themselves from the anti-vaccine rhetoric of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., with Saphier explicitly testifying that childhood vaccines do not cause autism.
HHS nominee confirmation hearings
- ▪The United States has lacked a permanent, Senate-confirmed surgeon general since President Joe Biden left office in January 2025.
- ▪The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee held a confirmation hearing on September 16, 2026, to consider Chris Klomp for deputy secretary of HHS, Dr. Nicole Saphier for surgeon general, and Dr. Timothy Westlake to lead SAMHSA.
Trump vaccine policy criticism
- ▪Senator Bill Cassidy criticized a Trump executive order that altered the childhood vaccine schedule, asserting that requiring more spaced-out shots made children less safe.
- ▪Senate Health Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy blamed the Trump administration's vaccine-skeptical policies and misinformation for recent measles deaths in Pennsylvania during a September 16, 2026, confirmation hearing.
Measles outbreak deaths Pennsylvania
- ▪The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention removed the Pennsylvania measles deaths from its website, raising reliability concerns, amid a dispute with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over the cause of death.
- ▪Health officials confirmed that three people in Pennsylvania have died from measles, with a fourth death under review, amid the worst U.S. measles outbreak in over 35 years.
Saphier rejects vaccine-autism link
- ▪Surgeon general nominee Dr. Nicole Saphier testified under pressure from Senator Bill Cassidy that she does not believe childhood vaccines cause autism.
- ▪Dr. Nicole Saphier described the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine as the greatest tool for combating measles and building population herd immunity.
Klomp endorses MMR vaccine
- ▪Chris Klomp committed to addressing operational shortcomings at HHS to ensure transparent publication of measles-related deaths on the CDC website.
- ▪HHS deputy secretary nominee Chris Klomp defended the MMR vaccine as the single most effective public health tool against measles during his Senate confirmation hearings.
Debatable claims
- ▪The CDC should maintain its universal recommendation for the hepatitis B vaccine at birth
- ▪The Trump administration's vaccine policies are responsible for recent U.S. measles deaths
- ▪The FDA should permit the sale of fruit-flavored e-cigarettes
- ▪The federal government should space out childhood vaccine doses
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