Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) blasted an executive order President Trump signed Monday that splits the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) shot across three separate visits.
“I’m a doctor. This executive order is wrong. The President does not have the expertise to make these changes. Vaccines are overwhelmingly safe. Vaccines are effective. Vaccines DO NOT cause autism,” Cassidy wrote on social platform X shortly after the order was signed.
“Breaking up vaccines will mean children have to get more shots to get the same protection, not fewer shots. It will increase hesitancy and make children less safe.”
Trump’s order follows a January effort by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to shrink the number of childhood vaccines, which was blocked by a judge in March.
It also builds on other efforts by Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to reshape and whittle down the number of childhood vaccines, all in the wake of Trump forwarding claims that rising rates of childhood shots have led to an increase in autism diagnoses.
“Parents should listen to their child’s pediatrician about vaccines rather than listening to an inaccurate executive order. This is so wrong,” Cassidy wrote Monday.
It’s not the first time Cassidy has delivered harsh words about the Trump administration, including on vaccine policy.
Cassidy grew frustrated in reviewing the nomination of Dr. Erica Schwartz to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) when she dodged questions about whether she could protect the agency from political meddling and push back if Kennedy asked her to take action that was not supported by scientific evidence.
But Cassidy ultimately backed Schwartz, citing changes to a CDC website that forwarded Kennedy’s claims on autism, including a disclaimer on the site stating vaccines do not cause autism “is not an evidence-based claim.”
The central claim of the site has not changed, but Cassidy nonetheless called it “a start,” delivering critical support for Schwartz.
Last week he also derided Trump in a speech in which he announced that he would support his pick for attorney general, Todd Blanche.
Cassidy called Trump “unrelenting” about certain topics, including prosecuting his enemies.
Medical experts have decried Trump’s Monday proposal and said splitting up the MMR vaccine could leave children vulnerable to infectious diseases for longer. Separate measles, mumps and rubella vaccines for children are not currently available in the U.S.
States set their own vaccination requirements, and many have already said they have lost faith in the Trump administration and are no longer following recommendations from the federal government.