White House has Withdrawn Dave Weldon from Consideration for CDC Director

The White House has decided to withdraw President Donald Trump’s nomination of former Republican congressman and vaccine skeptic Dave Weldon for the position of director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), according to a source familiar with the situation, who spoke on Thursday.

Weldon, a physician known for his opposition to abortion rights, was slated to testify before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on Thursday for his confirmation hearing.

The anonymous source indicated that Weldon did not possess sufficient support for Senate confirmation.

This news was initially reported by the Axios news outlet.

The CDC, located in Atlanta and operating with an annual budget of $17.3 billion, is responsible for monitoring and addressing both domestic and international public health threats. Approximately two-thirds of its budget is allocated to support public health and prevention initiatives at the state and local levels.

During his time in Congress, Weldon contested research that affirmed the safety of childhood vaccinations, claiming they were detrimental and associated with autism—a notion supported by the long-time vaccine skeptic Kennedy, yet discredited by the scientific community. According to reports from Reuters, the CDC intends to investigate the relationship between autism and vaccines.