The White House has rescinded its nomination of former Florida Rep. Dave Weldon, MD, to serve as CDC director, according to a March 13 report from CNBC.
Here are six things to know:
1. The White House withdrew Dr. Weldon’s nomination hours before his hearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.
2. Robert F. Kennedy, who was tapped to lead HHS, which oversees the CDC, allegedly said Dr. Weldon “wasn’t ready for the role.”
3. Dr. Weldon was allegedly unaware that his nomination had been rescinded.
4. Dr. Weldon has been a longtime critic of vaccines, questioning their safety and touting links to autism.
5. Dr. Weldon is an internal medicine physician and served in Congress from 1995 to 2009.
6. During his time in Congress, Dr. Weldon sponsored a bill that removed vaccine safety regulation from the CDC, claiming there was a conflict of interest; however, the bill never advanced.
