White House Withdraws CDC Nominee Hours Before Senate Hearing
Nominee Pulled Amid Lack of Senate Support
The White House has withdrawn its nominee for director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) just hours before he was scheduled to testify before the Senate.
An official told CBS News, the BBC’s news partner, that the nomination of Dave Weldon was pulled because "it was clear he did not have the votes in the Senate" for confirmation.
Despite confirming all of President Donald Trump’s previous nominees, including controversial choices, the Senate signaled a lack of support for Weldon’s appointment.
Nomination Withdrawn Last-Minute
Weldon, a 71-year-old physician and former Republican congressman, was set to appear before the Senate’s health committee at 10:00 EST (14:00 GMT) on Thursday. Trump had nominated him in November to lead the CDC, marking the first time the agency's director required Senate confirmation under a law passed in 2022.
The BBC has reached out to both the White House and Weldon for comment. Speaking to The New York Times, Weldon admitted he had mixed emotions about the withdrawal.
"It is a shock, but, you know, in some ways, it's a relief," he said. "Government jobs demand a lot of you, and if God doesn't want me in it, I'm fine with that."
Controversy Surrounding the Nomination
The CDC, responsible for vaccine recommendations and managing infectious disease outbreaks, has faced increasing scrutiny in recent years. Weldon’s nomination raised concerns due to his history of spreading misinformation about vaccines, including debunked claims linking them to autism.
He previously served in Congress for 14 years before stepping down in 2009. Since then, he has worked as a clinical professor of biomedical engineering at the Florida Institute of Technology, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Weldon was expected to work closely with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who oversees the CDC. He expressed enthusiasm about advancing Kennedy’s "Make America Healthy Again" initiative, citing a longstanding friendship between them.
However, Kennedy himself has faced criticism for his handling of recent measles outbreaks, which have infected over 250 people nationwide. A vocal skeptic of childhood vaccinations, Kennedy has downplayed the severity of the outbreak and promoted unproven treatments.
Political Fallout
When nominating Weldon, Trump argued that public confidence in the CDC had declined and described Weldon as someone who "understands American family values and views health as a top priority."
With Weldon’s withdrawal, the White House must now find a new candidate to lead the nation’s top public health agency. It remains unclear whom Trump will nominate next.
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