By I. Edwards HealthDay Reporter<\/b>
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FRIDAY, March 14, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Hours before his scheduled Senate confirmation, the White House has withdrawn the nomination of Dr. Dave Weldon to lead the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).<\/p>\n
Weldon<\/a>, a Republican and former congressman, said he was told Wednesday night that his nomination would not move forward because there were not enough votes for confirmation.<\/p>\n He later blamed Sens. Susan Collins<\/a> (R-Maine) and Bill Cassidy<\/a> (R-La.) for the decision, though Collins denied directly opposing him.<\/p>\n \u201cI did not express concerns to the White House. I had some reservations, but I certainly had not reached a final judgment,\u201d Collins told The New York Times<\/em>.<\/p>\n The move is a setback for newly appointed Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.<\/a>, who has known Weldon for 25 years.<\/p>\n Both have been skeptical of federal vaccine policies. Kennedy, who is now dealing with measles<\/a> outbreaks in Texas and 11 other states, has drawn criticism for promoting alternative treatments for the virus like vitamin A and cod liver oil.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is a shock, but, you know, in some ways, it\u2019s relief,\u201d Weldon said, according to The Times<\/em>. \u201cGovernment jobs demand a lot of you, and if God doesn\u2019t want me in it, I\u2019m fine with that.\u201d<\/p>\n The CDC is currently led by acting director Susan Monarez<\/a>, and no replacement for Weldon has been announced.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the Senate Health Committee advanced two other nominees: Dr. Jayanta Bhattacharya<\/a> to head the National Institutes of Health and Dr. Martin Makary<\/a> for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.<\/p>\n A confirmation hearing for Dr. Mehmet Oz<\/a>, nominated to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, is scheduled for Friday.<\/p>\n Weldon has been criticized for questioning vaccine safety, particularly regarding the measles vaccine.<\/p>\n He previously praised Andrew Wakefield, a discredited researcher who falsely linked vaccines to autism.<\/p>\n Weldon also advocated for moving the vaccine safety office out of CDC control, citing conflicts of interest.<\/p>\n