WASHINGTON (AP) – Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy’s support was important Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Confirmed as Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Human Services. Louisiana lawmakers and doctors are in a small space as the layoffs and resignations at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are now ignoring concerns about a collapse in leadership at one of the nation’s leading public health agencies.
The two-term senator, who publicly expressed concern about Kennedy’s anti-vaccination position before voting to confirm Kennedy, was vocal about “serious allegations” in the CDC and called for surveillance without denunciling Kennedy.
But he was carefully choosing his words when he returned to Washington this week after an August Senate break. Cassidy told reporters he hadn’t decided what to ask Kennedy yet, and “want to frame the questions carefully.”
Tension emphasizes competing pressure. He is a senator who is responsible for oversight for large federal agencies and Republicans seeking reelection next year. Cassidy, who voted to keep Donald Trump a prisoner after the 2021 Munition Each Trial, has already had a cool relationship with the president. And his chances of reelection will get worse as Trump publicly opposes him.
“He’s in Pickles,” Republican state Sen. Alan Seabaud said of Cassidy.
CDC Chaos
Latest Confusion at CDC It was the forced departure of Susan Monares, a longtime government scientist who served as CDC director for less than a month. Her lawyer said she “refused to shoot scientific and reckless instructions and dedicated medical professionals.” It came in Kennedy’s efforts to restructure the country’s vaccine policy to match his long-standing doubts about the safety and efficacy of the shot, which has been established over the years.
Last month, Cassidy expressed his concerns afterwards Kennedy’s June gunfire of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Vaccination Practices. Cassidy was paying attention to “serious allegations.” About an external group of experts reshaped by leading anti-vaccine activists Kennedy before becoming the country’s top health official.
Cassidy was asked Tuesday about what information he would seek from Kennedy at his hearing on Thursday.
“I would like to frame the questions carefully. The issue is about the health of the child. There are rumours and claims that the health of the child in question here may be at risk due to some of the decisions that are supposed to be made,” Cassidy told Capitol.
“I don’t know what’s true. I don’t really know what I said that I told you exactly how to phrase it. I know we need to get there,” he said.
Cassidy was equally cautious about allegations from those who resigned that Kennedy put politics above science.
“Don’t find it. You don’t assume they’re right. You don’t assume they’re wrong,” he warned. “You go to it in a way that gives both parties the opportunity to say, then we can judge.”
Cassidy’s public concerns about vaccination policies reminded him of his hesitation to vote to confirm Kennedy in February.
Cassidy told Kennedy during a confirmation hearing in January that he was “struggling” with the nomination. “Your past has something to do with me by undermining your confidence in the vaccine with unfounded or misleading arguments,” he told Kennedy during a confirmation hearing.
Still, Cassidy voted for Kennedy and described a fierce conversation with the candidate and Vice President JD Vance who later brought “serious commitments” from the administration.
Cassidy’s 2026 re-elected bid
Already facing a crowded field of Republican major challengers, Cassidy operates in a small wiggle room.
The group supporting Cassidy’s candidacy has aired advertisements promoting senator support for Trump’s agenda, but Trump himself has been quiet, notoriously known for publicly denounced others who voted to convict him.
Trump has treated Cassidy more friendly than others who previously publicly opposed him, as the president needs a vote in the narrow Republican-controlled Senate, said Louisiana Rep. Mike Beyham.
“If he rebelled against Trump, he would be in a lot more hot water. He would have torpedoed through the RFK and Trump would have been working too much against Bill, although he would have been torpedoed,” Beyham said. “Cassidy has to vote for Trump’s path for his own political interests, and Trump doesn’t even need to thank you. Thanks is his silence.”
Trump was certainly quiet as the Republican sector gathered to challenge the state’s first closure primary in 16 years in light of legislation enacted this year. Louisiana treasurer John Fleming, state Sen. Blake Miguez and Public Service Commissioner Eric Skulmetta have announced they will run for their seats.
Republican Gov. Jeff Landry discussed Rep. Julia Letraw’s ideas with Trumpwho is considering a Senate campaign as Cassidy’s challenger.
Cassidy announced his third term last month, reporting that he has $9 million in his campaign account, but the super PAC that supports him has far more than his total competition.
South Dakota Republican Senate Majority Leader John Toon and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, chair of the National Republican Senators Committee, approved Cassidy for reelection last month.
But in the newly established electoral system, where only voters with politically unrelated to registered Republicans can participate in the GOP primary, Cassidy will have a tougher time than he had in his previous system.
For the past 16 years, all parties seeking the same office have been run with the same vote regardless of party affiliation. In these so-called jungle primary, only candidates who receive 50% of the vote will win the office perfectly. If no one reaches the threshold, the top two finishers will face each other during the spill.
Partisan primary is Trump, a state that was carried 60% of the vote in 2024, creating more GOP-heavy voters in Senate primary.
“Cassidy is in a situation where he doesn’t actually win,” says Scott McKay, a Louisiana Republican who runs a conservative news website. “What he’s not buying in all of this is the goodwill of Trump voters.”
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Beaumont was reported from Des Moines, Iowa.
