Dear [salutation],
This week I want to talk about vaccines and the Trump Administration’s dangerous anti-science actions.
One of the biggest accomplishments of President Trump’s first term was Operation Warp Speed – developing a safe and effective vaccine in record time to save lives during a global pandemic. It’s no secret that I disagree with President Trump most of the time, but I’m happy to say that Operation Warp Speed was a great success for science and for America.
Today, President Trump’s own Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary, Robert Kennedy Jr., is working to limit access to that COVID-19 vaccine and other vaccines because he believes “there’s no safe and effective vaccine.”
The reality is: vaccines are safe, effective, and among the most extensively studied medical innovations in history. Much of today’s antivax movement can be traced back to a study published in the 1990s on the M.M.R. (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine and autism. The original study, which was only based on a sample of 12 children, was quickly retracted. Since then, numerous studies have confirmed the safety and efficacy of vaccines to prevent many diseases. |
The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) makes recommendations on the use of vaccines in the U.S., including overseeing a program that provides free shots to roughly half of all American children. In an unprecedented move, Secretary Kennedy fired all 17 members of the ACIP earlier this year and appointed new members who more closely align with his debunked views on vaccines. In a chaotic meeting this month, the committee voted to limit the M.M.R.V. (measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox) vaccine for children under 4. The next day, they voted to postpone changes to the current ACIP recommendation that allows newborns to receive the Hepatitis B shot. This leaves the current schedule still in place, for now.
The new ACIP also voted to change the COVID-19 vaccine recommendation to be determined by individual decision-making. Individual decision-making means vaccinations are based on shared clinical decision-making, including by physicians, nurses, and pharmacists. The ACIP’s changes to COVID-19 vaccine recommendations could leave Americans paying for vaccines that were previously administered with no copay. |
Public health experts have criticized these actions and other baseless recommendations and rhetoric coming from Secretary Kennedy. The American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American College of Physicians, and other medical experts have all warned that these changes could lead to an increase in serious health issues that we’ve worked to overcome.
The CDC’s own data reports that vaccination against measles, mumps, rubella, chickenpox, polio, and pertussis is declining in more than 30 states. In July, the U.S. recorded the highest number of measles cases since the disease was declared eliminated 25 years ago. If vaccination rates continue to decline, especially among children, the likelihood of infection for any number of illnesses increases for everyone – even those who still choose to get vaccinated. |
San Diego has a long history as a hub of world-class immunology research. We are home to over 1,000 public and private institutions that turn breakthrough discoveries into much-needed therapies and cures. One of those is the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. Their founder, Jonas Salk, developed the polio vaccine in 1955. Between 1948 and 1955, polio killed thousands of children and left tens of thousands more with lifelong impairments. The development and widespread distribution of a safe and effective vaccine brought hope to families worldwide.
In the U.S., polio cases dropped from 45,000 before the vaccine to just 910 by 1962. Around the world, cases dropped by more than 99 percent. Today, polio is on the verge of eradication thanks to robust immunization efforts. If President Eisenhower and his HHS Secretary had cut Jonas Salk’s research funding, undermined vaccine safety, fired independent vaccine advisors, and restricted access to the polio vaccine (all things President Trump and Secretary Kennedy are doing), how many more people would have been forced to live in an iron lung? How many more children would have died from polio?
We can’t let President Trump and Secretary Kennedy threaten our public health and our children’s futures. |
Finally, I aim for this newsletter to be an informative, fact-based recap of what’s happening in Washington and the work I’m doing to address what’s important to San Diego. If you know folks who would appreciate these updates like you do, please feel free to forward this email or encourage them to sign up to receive them here. Thanks, and take care. |
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Scott H. Peters
Member of Congress
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