Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is looking for the Senate Well being Committee to launch a bipartisan investigation into Well being and Human Companies Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s current firing of each member of a key vaccine advisory committee.
In a letter despatched to committee chairman Sen. Invoice Cassidy (R-La.), Sanders mentioned purging members of the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization practices (ACIP) was “a dangerous and unprecedented decision that will have a profoundly negative impact on the lives of the American people.”
“I am requesting that we immediately initiate a bi-partisan investigation into these firings and conduct serious oversight into the actions Secretary Kennedy has taken to mislead the American people about the safety and effectiveness of vaccines and erode public health,” Sanders mentioned within the letter.
A spokesperson for the Senate Well being, Schooling, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee didn’t instantly reply to a request for touch upon the letter.
Kennedy, who has an extended historical past as an anti-vaccine activist, fired the whole 17-member panel final week, arguing a “clean sweep” was wanted to purge conflicts of curiosity and assist restore belief in vaccinations and public well being. He changed them with eight of his personal handpicked members, together with a number of vocal vaccine critics.
The transfer was an unprecedented escalation in Kennedy’s quest to reshape the nation’s vaccine coverage. Sanders famous it “directly contradicts” one of many key guarantees Cassidy mentioned he extracted from the HHS chief to safe his affirmation vote.
Earlier than being elected to Congress, Cassidy was a doctor who gained prominence by vaccinating low-income kids. He publicly wavered over Kennedy’s affirmation, sharply criticizing his views on vaccines earlier than ultimately voting for him.
Following the ACIP firings, the Louisiana Republican wouldn’t say if HHS violated their settlement and as a substitute pointed to a social media put up.
“Now the fear is that the ACIP will be filled up with people who know nothing about vaccines except suspicion,” the senator wrote.
In his letter, Sanders mentioned Cassidy’s “fear was wellfounded.”
