• The Trump administration pulled its nomination of Dave Weldon to lead the CDC shortly before his confirmation hearing. 
• Weldon, a close ally of RFK Jr., would have faced questioning over his past stances on vaccines. 
• Weldon’s withdrawal comes as the agency faces growing criticism over its response to a measles outbreak in New Mexico and West Texas.

The Trump administration did an about-face on Thursday, pulling its nomination of Dave Weldon to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shortly before his confirmation hearing.

The White House reportedly concluded that Weldon, a former member of Congress from Florida and a vaccine critic, did not have the votes to gain confirmation.

Weldon marks at least the third speed bump the Trump administration hit during a confirmation process for its nominees that has otherwise gone relatively smoothly. Former Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew himself for the role of attorney general, and Chad Chronister withdrew his nomination to lead the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Despite holding a very narrow 53-47 margin in the upper chamber, Republicans have maintained enough unity to successfully approve President Donald Trump’s slate of picks so far.

Trump announced his pick of Weldon in November, saying he would “proudly restore the CDC to its true purpose, and will work to end the Chronic Disease Epidemic, and Make America Healthy Again!”

Weldon has been a close ally of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his mission to “Make America Healthy Again.” Kennedy, who was one of Trump’s most controversial nominees, faced some hurdles during the confirmation process but ultimately squeaked through his confirmation vote.

Weldon said in a statement obtained by CBS News that a White House official told him “there were not enough votes to get me confirmed.” Axios first reported the decision to withdraw the nomination.

Weldon said that Kennedy was “very upset” about the decision and said he was the “perfect person” for the job.

“Hopefully they can find someone for CDC who can survive the confirmation process and get past pharma and find some answers,” Weldon said.

Weldon was sure to face tough questions about his previous support for anti-vaccine theories during his confirmation hearing. Some Republicans, including Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, gave Trump’s picks to lead other health-related agencies a shakedown during their hearings, and Weldon was likely to be put in a similar situation.

Two Republicans, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, reportedly expressed reservations about Weldon’s nomination.

The concerns likely stemmed from some of Weldon’s past stances on vaccines. While serving in Congress for 14 years, Weldon, who was also an internal medicine doctor, supported a bill to ban mercury from vaccines. He was targeting a mercury-based preservative the CDC says has “no evidence of harm” in low doses and was also removed from childhood vaccines years prior to the introduction of his bill.

He argued in 2007 that “parents should not be forced to choose between the risk of the mercury containing preservative thimerosal – whether real or perceived and the risk of contracting influenza.”

Like Kennedy, Weldon has also promoted the debunked link between vaccines and autism, which the CDC is preparing to study at the request of Trump administration officials.

Weldon’s withdrawal comes as the agency faces growing criticism over its response to a measles outbreak in New Mexico and West Texas that has killed two people and resulted in more than 250 cases as of March 11.

Nationwide, measles cases have been reported in 10 other states, including Alaska, California, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Washington as of March 6, according to the CDC.

Kennedy, a longtime critic of vaccines, has expressed the importance of measles vaccinations in light of the outbreak but has said the decision to get vaccinated is a personal choice.

Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director for the American Public Health Association, says Kennedy’s actions are helping to sow confusion and mistrust of vaccines.

“He gives the public a confusing message,” says Benjamin. “I think he does not believe in vaccines and he’s trying to find ways to articulate his anti-vaccine views.”

Benjamin says he believes the current measles outbreak probably played a part in the White House decision to withdraw Weldon’s nomination, adding that his past anti-vaccine views would have likely made it difficult for lawmakers to vote for his confirmation.

“I don’t know how members of Congress would have voted, but I believe it would have been very difficult for the Republican members of Congress – who, in my mind, held their breath and voted for Kennedy – to do it again,” Benjamin says.

For the CDC, the withdrawal of Weldon’s nomination means the agency will continue to operate for now under the leadership of Principal Deputy Director Susan Monarez, who has served as acting director since late January.

The role of CDC director had been until recently one that did not need Senate confirmation. But the position took on the new requirement in 2025 after the passage of a 2023 omnibus bill that included a GOP-backed provision stating that the CDC director “shall be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate.”

Benjamin says whoever the White House picks next to lead the CDC will not only face a number of public health challenges but also internal ones. The agency is contending with the aftermath of mass layoffs in February that saw more than 700 of its 13,000 employees lose their jobs as part of the Trump administration’s initiative to streamline the federal workforce. Recent reports indicate about 180 CDC staffers who were previously laid off were recently offered their jobs back.

Benjamin says the lack of a permanent head of the CDC only adds to the overall disruption the agency is experiencing, which he feels has led to disruptions in how it functions and hindered its ability to rapidly respond to health emergencies, like the measles outbreak.

“We are behind on this outbreak, we are chasing this outbreak, and I believe the federal engagement was later than it should have been,” Benjamin says. “So, we really do need to have someone in that job. But I do think, in light of all that’s going on, it is most important to get the right person in that job.”