WASHINGTON — Senate health leader Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana) slammed President Donald Trump’s nominee for a key role in the pandemic response during his Senate confirmation hearing Wednesday over past comments that questioned vaccines.
“Why do you keep repeating such egregious lies? Because it undermines trust,” Cassidy said at one point, clapping his hands on stage to candidate Sean Kaufman.
The senator was referring to a now-deleted LinkedIn post first reported by STAT in which Kaufman raised a common talking point used by vaccine skeptics. Kaufman’s post claimed that hepatitis B vaccine doses given at birth may be linked to an increase in autism cases, a claim that has been widely disproved.
Nominees to key federal health roles have histories of doubts about vaccines.
The dramatic exchange came after STAT reported last week that Kaufman, who was nominated to be assistant secretary for preparedness and response, had made numerous public statements questioning the safety of vaccines, including messenger RNA vaccines and the hepatitis B vaccine given to infants at birth. Cassidy mentioned this story in his opening remarks at the hearing.
He also pointed to a four-year-old video of Kaufman running for local school board, in which he said he hated the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If confirmed, Kaufman would work closely with the CDC on public health crises.
Kaufman defended his record and said he believes the vaccine is safe and effective. He noted that his children had received a birth dose of hepatitis B vaccine. Kaufman also called the CDC “an American treasure” and insisted his criticism was directed at CDC leaders throughout the pandemic.
“I’m a Gen He added that the post was removed for multiple reasons, including that it was deemed divisive. He said it was a misconception to link vaccines to autism.
“I’m simply saying that public health has an obligation to the public to consider why autism and allergies are on the rise so much,” he said.
In his opening statement, Cassidy warned that he would not vote for candidates who question the safety or value of vaccines or who make ambiguous statements on the subject.
The Senate health leader, a physician who specializes in treating liver diseases, has balked at many of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s aggressive vaccine policies, even though he supported his confirmation. Relations between Cassidy and Kennedy soured after Cassidy criticized Kennedy’s vaccine policy.
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Cassidy lost re-election in May after Kennedy and President Trump endorsed one of his primary challengers.
For much of the hearing, senators focused their questions on CDC Director nominee Erika Schwartz, who appeared with Kaufman.
Kaufman also told Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) that he believes mRNA vaccines are safe and effective.
“It’s going to take some serious effort to make your opinion clear on this issue,” she told him.
But he was then stymied by a number of senators who asked him whether he supported HHS’s decision to cut funding for mRNA vaccine research aimed at speeding access to vaccines the next time a pandemic hits. This research truly falls under the umbrella of ASPR. He said he believes it is more important to study the benefits and risks of Covid-19 mRNA vaccines before starting to develop new vaccine targets using this technology.
In the final question, Cassidy grilled Kaufman on the idea.
“I was once again surprised that you would support halting research on mRNA vaccines because of adverse events,” the senator said. “I had an adverse event this morning from Aleve, which I took for a bad knee. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop studying nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and it doesn’t mean I won’t continue taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.”
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Kaufman stood by his opinion. “I need research. I want a better mRNA platform. But before we move forward, I believe we have a responsibility not just to those who benefit and solve the problem, but also to those who have the problem. I think we all have an obligation to look at ways to make the mRNA platform more viable,” he replied.
Cassidy became visibly irritated during the exchange, claiming the candidate was undermining trust in the CDC, the hepatitis B vaccine, and mRNA research.
“I don’t know what I was thinking,” Cassidy said as she read a line from a now-deleted social media post suggesting that birth doses of the hepatitis B vaccine were linked to an increase in autism diagnoses. He said the candidates’ comments were “misleading or intentionally misleading.”
Cassidy told reporters after the hearing that he needed to review his interactions with Kaufman again before commenting on whether he was satisfied. Republicans hold a one-vote majority on the Senate Health Committee, and a single Republican vote for Kaufman would scuttle his nomination.
“It was as if they had a defense of not doing research on mRNA platforms and then wholeheartedly supported it,” he says. “Let me go back and review the records to make sure I understand that.”
