The White House on Wednesday withdrew Dave Weldon’s nomination to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a rare setback for President Trump’s appointments as the Senate advanced nominees to lead other health agencies.
Dr. Weldon, a physician and former congressman, said he learned about the decision 12 hours before he was to testify before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee about his qualifications and views on vaccine safety.
He said pushback from at least two Republicans on the committee made his nomination untenable.
“My big sin was that as a congressman 25 years ago I had the temerity to take on the CDC and big Pharma on two critical childhood vaccine safety issues. Hundreds of parents had been coming to me from all over the country, insisting that their child has been seriously damaged by the inoculations,” Dr. Weldon said in a statement.
He added, “The president is a busy man doing good work for our nation, and the last thing he needs is a controversy about CDC.”
The Senate committee advanced two other nominees: Marty Makary to lead the Food and Drug Administration and Jay Bhattacharya to steer the National Institutes of Health.
Dr. Weldon faced a unique problem: scrutiny over his ties to vaccine skeptics and a history of exploring a suspected link between shots and conditions such as autism.
Similar worries dogged Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination and early tenure at the Department of Health and Human Services.
Mr. Kennedy was confirmed in mid-February.
The pushback to vaccine skepticism seemed to doom Dr. Weldon’s chances, particularly as the U.S. contends with a measles outbreak in the Southwest.
The outbreak has infected more than 250 people, mainly in Texas, though Oklahoma and New Mexico have reported cases.
In a recent interview with Fox News, Mr. Kennedy said the measles vaccine can prevent infection, although he also renewed questions about safety.
“We don’t know what the risk profile is for these products. Americans have the right to know to be able to make an informed choice. You need to know the cost and the benefits. And we’ve never quantified the cost. And that’s why there’s so much mistrust, and we need to restore government trust,” the secretary said.
Worries about Dr. Weldon’s stances stemmed largely from years-old positions.
In a 2007 statement about proposed vaccine legislation, Dr. Weldon wrote: “Legitimate questions persist regarding the possible association between the mercury-based preservative, thimerosal, and the childhood epidemic of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), including autism.”
Thimerosal was removed from childhood vaccines as a precautionary measure in 2001, though theories about an unsubstantiated link between vaccines and autism persist.
Like Mr. Kennedy, Dr. Weldon said he supported vaccination but wanted more scrutiny of safety and ingredients.
Dr. Weldon said Mr. Kennedy was upset about the decision to pull his nomination.
Mr. Kennedy “is a good man who really is passionate about improving the health of the American people,” Dr. Weldon said. “President Trump did a good thing in making him secretary of HHS. Hopefully they can find someone for CDC who can survive the confirmation process and get past pharma and find some answers.”
Dr. Weldon served in Congress from 1995 to 2009. He is best known for the Weldon Amendment, which bars discrimination against hospitals and insurers that refuse to facilitate abortions.
Children’s Health Defense, an anti-vaccine group that Mr. Kennedy once chaired, said it was disheartened by Mr. Trump’s decision.
“We are disappointed with the decision to pull the nomination of Dave Weldon as CDC director, as he would be an ideal candidate for the protection of public health,” the group said on X.
The withdrawal is a notable setback. Mr. Trump’s nominees have passed the Senate with great success despite early and serious doubts about some of them.
Mr. Trump’s first nominee to lead the Justice Department, Matt Gaetz, withdrew from contention, though other polarizing nominees made it through the Senate with some cajoling and reassurance from Mr. Trump and his aides.
Peter Hotez, an infectious diseases expert at Baylor College of Medicine, said the nomination was surprising because he associated Dr. Weldon with the 20-year-old fight against thimerosal.
“He hadn’t been on my radar screen in recent years,” Dr. Hotez said.
The withdrawal rippled through Capitol Hill.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Alaska Republican, said she was not surprised that Dr. Weldon’s nomination was withdrawn. She had raised concerns directly with him and the White House.
Sen. Susan M. Collins, Maine Republican, said she was on her way to the committee hearing when she learned that the nomination had been withdrawn.
“It was not something I anticipated,” she said. “I had some reservations, but I certainly had not reached a final judgment.”
Democrats offered some guidance for a CDC director.
“While I have little to no confidence in the Trump administration to do so, they should immediately nominate someone for this position who at bare minimum believes in basic science and will help lead CDC’s important work to monitor and prevent deadly outbreaks,” said Sen. Patty Murray, Washington Democrat.
Dr. Makary and Dr. Bhattacharya are poised to take over agencies facing massive funding cuts as Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency examine government spending and staffing.
Mr. Trump and his allies say Mr. Musk is rightsizing the government, but Democrats say the cuts will imperil critical research and efforts to fight disease.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, Louisiana Republican and chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said both men were qualified to lead the agencies amid challenges, including the measles outbreak that led to the death of an unvaccinated child.
Sen. Bernard Sanders, Vermont independent, led the Democratic minority in opposing the nominations.
Mr. Sanders said he feared the nominees would do nothing to increase the affordability of drugs and health services.
• Lindsey McPherson contributed to this report.
