The Senate committee will consider President Trump's candidate to serve as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and former Congressman Dave Weldon (R-Fla.) at Thursday's confirmation hearing.
Weldon, a doctor and Army veteran, was a seven-term lawmaker until 2008. He could face tough questions from Democrats about the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee on public health views.
Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said at a private meeting last month that Weldon believed there was a link between vaccines and autism, and told her that childhood vaccine schedules put children at risk due to mercury exposure.
In a statement Wednesday, Murray said she was “deeply disturbed” by the conversation, adding that “it's dangerous to be in charge of the CDC, who believes that our rigorously tested pediatric vaccine schedule is somehow exposing children to toxic levels of mercury or causing autism.”
Check out the live show above for Weldon's hearing.
