Trump Withdraws Controversial Nominee for CDC Director

The White House has retracted President Donald Trump's nomination of Dave Weldon to lead the CDC. A vaccine critic, Weldon lacked Senate votes for confirmation. As a congressman, he challenged vaccine safety studies. The CDC, with a significant budget, supports public health initiatives across the U.S.

The White House has pulled President Donald Trump's nomination of Dave Weldon, a Republican former congressman and critic of vaccines, who was slated to lead the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This decision was confirmed by a source on Thursday.

Weldon, known for opposing abortion rights and expressing skepticism over childhood vaccine safety, was supposed to appear before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. The hearing was canceled after it became evident he did not have enough votes for Senate confirmation, the source, speaking anonymously, revealed.

Axios initially reported the news, highlighting the CDC's pivotal role in monitoring public health threats. The agency, based in Atlanta, operates on a $17.3 billion budget, with two-thirds allotted for state and local health prevention initiatives. The withdrawal marks another chapter in the ongoing debate over vaccine safety, despite scientific consensus debunking claims of vaccines causing autism.

(With inputs from agencies.)