'Almost an insult': Republican senator slams CDC over autism, vaccines website - USA Today

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, criticized the CDC during a July 26 interview on CNN's "State of the Union" over website language stating it is "not an evidence-based claim" that vaccines don't cause autism.
Cassidy, a gastroenterologist who chairs the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, argued the wording fuels vaccine hesitancy and called it "almost an insult to the American people," maintaining it has been firmly established that vaccines do not cause autism.
Speaking with host Dana Bash, Cassidy said the persistence of such claims signals a refusal to tell parents the truth and could deter them from vaccinating their children.
An outspoken vaccine advocate, Cassidy had asked Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to state unequivocally that vaccines are safe before Kennedy's confirmation as Health and Human Services secretary; Cassidy voted to confirm him but has since criticized his tenure.
Numerous public health groups and physicians have also condemned the CDC's language on vaccines and autism, citing decades of evidence that approved immunizations are safe.
Cassidy's pushback follows his May reelection defeat, when he failed to reach a Louisiana primary runoff won by Trump's handpicked candidate, Rep. Julia Letlow; he has also clashed with Trump over the Iran conflict but has pledged to support surgeon general nominee Erica Schwartz.