Republican US senator slams Trump vaccine policy amid rising measles deaths

What the report says

Republican US Senator Bill Cassidy, who chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, criticized the Trump administration’s vaccine policy as the United States faces its worst measles outbreak in more than 35 years, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters. Cassidy, a Louisiana physician, argued on Wednesday that public health posts should be filled by officials who follow science rather than political ideology.

The article says Cassidy linked the outbreak to rising vaccine skepticism and noted that measles deaths have returned after the disease had largely been eliminated in the US. He said three people had died in a Pennsylvania outbreak, with a fourth death still under review. The report also says critics have targeted Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. and President Donald Trump for repeating debunked claims about a connection between vaccines and autism.

Cassidy questioned Dr Nicole Saphier, Trump’s nominee for surgeon general, during a Senate confirmation hearing in Washington, DC. He pressed her for a clear answer on whether the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine causes autism. After initial caution, Saphier said the MMR shot is a major tool against measles and that she does not believe childhood vaccines cause autism.

The hearing is part of a broader Senate review of several Trump health nominations, including posts at HHS and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Al Jazeera’s report also notes that the US has lacked a surgeon general since January 2025 amid earlier nomination disputes.