"Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, raised eyebrows when he suggested some of Kennedy's vaccine views were jeopardizing public safety and eroding medical progress.
"I've grown deeply concerned," Barrasso said, citing measles outbreaks and the CDC director firing.
"There are real concerns that safe, proven vaccines like measles, hepatitis B and others could be in jeopardy, and that would put Americans at risk and reverse decades of progress," he said.
Barrasso does not usually break from his party, and as a leadership member, could be reflecting broader concerns within the GOP caucus.
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), asserted that Trump deserved the Nobel Prize for taking steps to rapidly scale up vaccine production in response to COVID-19 and then contrasted that with actions from Kennedy, such as canceling $500 million in grants for developing new mRNA vaccines.
Canceling those contracts "seems like a commentary upon what the president did in Operation Warp Speed," Cassidy said.
"I would say effectively we're denying people the vaccine," Cassidy added, highlighting stories of people unable to get the COVID-19 booster shot at pharmacies amid confusion about Health and Human Services' new limited vaccine recommendations.
Several senators were concerned about a forthcoming CDC vaccine advisory meeting this month, saying it could further limit vaccine recommendations for other diseases. Kennedy did not shed much light on that, though he did say he does not "anticipate" a change in measles vaccine recommendations."
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