Trump chooses ex-Florida Representative Weldon as new CDC head
Weldon boasts over four decades of experience in the medical field and has served as an Army veteran.
TroibNews 
President-elect Donald Trump has selected former Florida Rep. Dave Weldon, a physician known for his skepticism regarding vaccine safety, to head the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
During his time in Congress, Weldon advocated for transferring oversight of vaccine safety from the CDC to an independent agency within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). He has expressed significant concerns about the impartiality of the federal vaccine safety review process and previously indicated a belief that thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative once prevalent in vaccines, may be linked to an increase in autism.
“Federal agencies charged with overseeing vaccine safety research have failed. They have failed to provide sufficient resources for vaccine safety research. They have failed to adequately fund extramural research. And, they have failed to free themselves from conflicts of interest that serve to undermine public confidence in the safety of vaccines,” Weldon stated.
Weldon, who spent nearly two decades in Congress, has also raised alarms about the safety of the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine, as well as Gardasil, the vaccine that protects against the papillomavirus, which is associated with cervical cancer.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who is Trump’s choice for secretary of Health and Human Services, has referenced Weldon’s advocacy in his criticisms of the CDC, which he described as a “subsidiary of the pharmaceutical industry.”
“Congressman Dave Weldon has pointed out that the primary metric for success across the CDC is how many vaccines the agency sells and how successfully the agency expands its vaccine program — regardless of any negative effects on human health,” Kennedy noted during an interview featured on the website of Children’s Health Defense, an anti-vaccine organization founded by him. “Weldon exposed how the Immunization Safety Office, which is supposed to ensure vaccine efficacy and safety, has become subsumed in that metric.”
In his statement, Trump praised Weldon as a “respective conservative leader on fiscal and social issues” and expressed confidence that the former congressman would help rebuild trust in the nation's health system.
“Americans have lost trust in the CDC and in our Federal Health Authorities, who have engaged in censorship, data manipulation, and misinformation,” Trump remarked. “Given the current Chronic Health Crisis in our Country, the CDC must step up and correct past errors to focus on the Prevention of Disease.”
“The current Health of Americans is critical, and CDC will play a big role in helping to ensure Americans have the tools and resources they need to understand the underlying causes of disease, and the solutions to cure these diseases,” he added.
Weldon gained national recognition in the early 2000s for his involvement in the case of Terri Schiavo, a Florida woman in a persistent vegetative state, introducing legislation to compel a federal review of her case.
While in Congress, he served on the Labor and HHS Appropriations Subcommittee, focusing on accountability matters. A staunch advocate for banning late-term abortions, he has also identified Jesus Christ as one of his key political influences.
If confirmed, Weldon will take over the CDC amid several significant challenges from current Director Mandy Cohen. The CDC is currently addressing a notable outbreak of H5N1 avian flu in dairy cattle, which has seen a few dozen human cases this year, posing a potential pandemic risk.
Additionally, the agency is working to tackle various threats from abroad, such as a more dangerous variant of mpox that has rapidly spread throughout the Democratic Republic of the Congo this year and also reached several countries outside Africa.
Weldon was among three senior health appointments announced on Friday evening, alongside the surgeon general and the FDA commissioner.
Ian Smith for TROIB News
During his time in Congress, Weldon advocated for transferring oversight of vaccine safety from the CDC to an independent agency within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). He has expressed significant concerns about the impartiality of the federal vaccine safety review process and previously indicated a belief that thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative once prevalent in vaccines, may be linked to an increase in autism.
“Federal agencies charged with overseeing vaccine safety research have failed. They have failed to provide sufficient resources for vaccine safety research. They have failed to adequately fund extramural research. And, they have failed to free themselves from conflicts of interest that serve to undermine public confidence in the safety of vaccines,” Weldon stated.
Weldon, who spent nearly two decades in Congress, has also raised alarms about the safety of the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine, as well as Gardasil, the vaccine that protects against the papillomavirus, which is associated with cervical cancer.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who is Trump’s choice for secretary of Health and Human Services, has referenced Weldon’s advocacy in his criticisms of the CDC, which he described as a “subsidiary of the pharmaceutical industry.”
“Congressman Dave Weldon has pointed out that the primary metric for success across the CDC is how many vaccines the agency sells and how successfully the agency expands its vaccine program — regardless of any negative effects on human health,” Kennedy noted during an interview featured on the website of Children’s Health Defense, an anti-vaccine organization founded by him. “Weldon exposed how the Immunization Safety Office, which is supposed to ensure vaccine efficacy and safety, has become subsumed in that metric.”
In his statement, Trump praised Weldon as a “respective conservative leader on fiscal and social issues” and expressed confidence that the former congressman would help rebuild trust in the nation's health system.
“Americans have lost trust in the CDC and in our Federal Health Authorities, who have engaged in censorship, data manipulation, and misinformation,” Trump remarked. “Given the current Chronic Health Crisis in our Country, the CDC must step up and correct past errors to focus on the Prevention of Disease.”
“The current Health of Americans is critical, and CDC will play a big role in helping to ensure Americans have the tools and resources they need to understand the underlying causes of disease, and the solutions to cure these diseases,” he added.
Weldon gained national recognition in the early 2000s for his involvement in the case of Terri Schiavo, a Florida woman in a persistent vegetative state, introducing legislation to compel a federal review of her case.
While in Congress, he served on the Labor and HHS Appropriations Subcommittee, focusing on accountability matters. A staunch advocate for banning late-term abortions, he has also identified Jesus Christ as one of his key political influences.
If confirmed, Weldon will take over the CDC amid several significant challenges from current Director Mandy Cohen. The CDC is currently addressing a notable outbreak of H5N1 avian flu in dairy cattle, which has seen a few dozen human cases this year, posing a potential pandemic risk.
Additionally, the agency is working to tackle various threats from abroad, such as a more dangerous variant of mpox that has rapidly spread throughout the Democratic Republic of the Congo this year and also reached several countries outside Africa.
Weldon was among three senior health appointments announced on Friday evening, alongside the surgeon general and the FDA commissioner.
Ian Smith for TROIB News
