Cdc Nominee Dave Weldon Is Likely To Be Pressed On His Vaccine Views At Senate Hearing

Dr. David Weldon had been out of the national spotlight for more than 15 years when he was nominated to head the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But many anti-vaccine advocates knew him well.

"He is one of us!! Since before our movement had momentum," the co-director of Mississippi Parents for Vaccine Rights wrote on Facebook. And on X, formerly known as Twitter, the Autism Action Network credited the former congressman with introducing legislation two decades ago "to stop the vaccine pedocide."

Weldon, who was nominated by President Donald Trump, needs to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate before he can lead the nation's top public health agency. His confirmation hearing is to be held Thursday.

The 71-year-old retired Florida congressman is considered to be closely aligned with his presumptive boss, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the U.S. health secretary who for years has been one of the nation's leading anti-vaccine activists .

Department of Health and Human Services officials declined to make Weldon or Kennedy available for an Associated Press interview.