In the wake of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr's firing of top CDC officials and cuts in mRNA vaccine research, Dr. Timothy Johnson has a message for a fellow doctor, Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy, who'd promised oversight of Kennedy when he voted to confirm him.

Washington

Dr. Timothy Johnson, a longtime medical editor, has issued a public appeal to Senator Bill Cassidy, urging him to intervene in response to recent decisions made by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services. Johnson highlighted Kennedy's dismissal of the CDC's vaccine advisory committee and a substantial reduction in government funding for mRNA vaccine research, actions that have drawn criticism from public health experts.

Experts, including Dr. Michael Osterholm, have described the funding cut as a major setback for public health preparedness, emphasizing the importance of mRNA technology for both infectious diseases and potential cancer treatments. Dr. Johnson called on Senator Cassidy to fulfill his previous commitment to safeguard public access to vaccines and to use his authority to address these developments.

Health expert pleads with GOP senator to address RFK Jr.'s actions

Earlier, we told you about the turmoil of the CDC. The controversy prompts opinion this morning from longtime ABC News medical editor, Dr. Timothy Johnson. It's an appeal to Louisiana Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, who's also a physician. Senator Cassidy, I reach out to you as one physician to another, hoping that your doctor's heart can override your politics. First, allow me to remind you of what you said to the Senate after deciding to vote in favor of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s nomination as Secretary of Health and Human Services. If Mr. Kennedy is confirmed, I will use my authority as Chairman of the Senate Committee with oversight of HHS to rebuff any attempt to remove the public's access to lifesaving vaccines without ironclad, causational, scientific evidence. I now urge you, Senator Cassidy, to use that authority. If confirmed, he will maintain the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices' recommendations without changes. Since you uttered those words, Kennedy has fired the highly regarded and longstanding CDC Committee Advising on Vaccines. Also, Kennedy's recent decision to cut nearly $500 million in government funding for mRNA vaccine research and development, vaccines that were so effective in helping to stem the COVID-19 pandemic, is truly concerning. HHS has determined that mRNA technology poses more risks and benefits for these respiratory viruses. Vaccine experts disagree and have called the decision dangerous. Dr. Michael Osterholm, a world-renowned public health expert, described the funding cut as one of the worst decisions I've seen in 50 years of public health preparedness work. Other experts stress the potential for mRNA technology in producing new lifesaving drugs, even cancer treatments. Senator Cassidy, I am pleading with you. To do what you know in your physician's heart is the right thing to do. Use that authority, as you promised, and call your committee into action before it is too late and too many lives may be unnecessarily lost.

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