As RFK Jr.’s anti-vaccine ways turn toxic to GOP, CDC director is hard to find
Wednesday was the deadline to nominate a new director.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hasn't had a director since August, and now it's without even a temporary one after the Trump administration blew through a federal deadline on Wednesday to nominate someone for the permanent role. According to federal law, there's a 210-day limit on a Senate-confirmed position being filled by someone in an acting capacity. The clock started when anti-vaccine Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired Susan Monarez from her Senate-confirmed role as CDC director in late August—allegedly after she refused to rubber-stamp changes to CDC vaccine recommendations. Until yesterday, Jay Bhattacharya, who heads the National Institutes of Health, had stepped in to also be the acting director of the CDC. But he can no longer hold the position officially. The void of leadership comes as the Trump administration is working to restrain Kennedy after finding his relentless anti-vaccine agenda is widely unpopular and potentially harmful to Republicans in the upcoming midterm elections. Read full article Comments
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