Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., the physician who chairs the Senate Committee on Health, strongly criticized President Donald Trump’s push to separate the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine into individual doses during an interview Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
Trump recently signed an executive order aimed at reducing the number of childhood vaccines and proposed breaking the standard combined MMR shot into three separate injections. Because the full schedule involves a booster, the change would require children to receive six separate shots instead of two.
Major medical organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, the American College of Physicians, and the Infectious Diseases Society of America, oppose the change.
Defending the policy, Trump said, “Nothing bad can happen from what we’re doing. Nothing bad can happen. The worst thing that would happen would be nothing happens. We’re not going to lose anything. At the same time, we could gain tremendous. We save hundreds of thousands of lives, millions of lives.” Trump has also referred to the combined shot as “quite lethal” and compared its volume to a large vat or bottle of soda.
Cassidy pushed back directly on those claims, calling them “crazy” and warning that the policy will harm families and reduce vaccination rates.
“If it wasn’t so potentially tragic, you would break out laughing at a comment like that,” Cassidy told CNN host Jake Tapper. “Instead of going to the doctor twice to get their child vaccinated, they have to go six times. Instead of the child getting two jabs, they get six jabs. Instead of mom or dad missing work twice, coming out of their pocket, if you will, to take their child to the doctor, they have to miss work or take vacation or personal leave six times.”
Cassidy added that requiring six doctor visits instead of two will increase costs for insurance providers and lead to higher insurance premiums. He noted that Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, the president’s appointee to lead the National Institutes of Health, has acknowledged that vaccines do not cause autism.
“As a physician who has seen people either die or get seriously ill from diseases that can be prevented by vaccines, this has the potential to decrease the protection that a child would receive against diseases which can be deadly,” Cassidy said. He argued that more clinic visits increase the chance that parents will miss appointments, raising the risk of preventable illness, hospitalization, or death. “If you’re pro-life, you should be pro-vaccine,” he said.
When asked about the newly appointed CDC Director, Dr. Erica Schwartz, Cassidy said he expects her to follow scientific evidence and maintain the current schedule to prevent disease and keep healthcare manageable for families.
Turning to other matters, Tapper asked Cassidy about acting Attorney General Todd Blanche speaking at a campaign event alongside Republican New York gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman ahead of the midterm elections. Cassidy declined to comment directly on the appearance, stating he had not seen the event prior to the broadcast, while noting that Republicans and Blanche remain strong supporters of law enforcement.
Cassidy also addressed his ongoing bipartisan efforts with Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., to establish a legislative process addressing Social Security’s projected funding shortfall before the trust fund faces exhaustion in six years. Cassidy criticized lawmakers who oppose creating a formal process to bring reform proposals to the floor, arguing that Congress must take action to prevent benefit reductions.
READ: Beyond AOC And Ideology Games, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore Calls Out D.C. Disconnect
Please make a small donation to the Tampa Free Press to help sustain independent journalism. Your contribution enables us to continue delivering high-quality, local, and national news coverage.
Sign up: Subscribe to our free newsletter for a curated selection of top stories delivered straight to your inbox.
