* The header "Vaccines do not cause autism" has not been removed due to an agreement with the chair of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee that it would remain on the CDC website.
By Dianne Marie Normand Hartley
So now “Vaccines do not cause autism” apparently means vaccines do not cause autism unless you read literally anything below the header that now claims the science is “not evidence-based,” but the header still has to stay because RFK Jr. promised Sen. Bill Cassidy, M.D., he wouldn’t touch it to secure a confirmation vote, leaving the CDC with a headline it can’t take down, body text that contradicts it in broad daylight, and one lonely asterisk doing more damage than any anti-vaccine campaign ever managed on purpose — and honestly the whole thing feels like an SNL skit where Weekend Update would just stare into the camera, shrug, and cut to commercial.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention quietly revised its vaccine-safety webpage last week, adding an asterisk to its long-standing statement that “vaccines do not cause autism” after an apparent agreement between Sen. Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-La.), and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Kennedy was seeking the final votes needed for confirmation as Health and Human Services secretary earlier this year.
The updated CDC page now notes that the headline was retained “due to an agreement with the chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee,” which Cassidy leads.
CDC webpage: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccine-safety/about/autism.html?
The body text, however, now states that such claims are “not evidence-based,” diverging sharply from decades of scientific consensus and from the agency’s own prior public communications. Multiple public-health experts said they were not consulted before the change.
Kennedy, a longtime critic of childhood vaccine policy, was confirmed as HHS secretary earlier this year after a narrow and contentious Senate vote. Several lawmakers expressed concern about Kennedy’s past statements questioning vaccine safety. Cassidy ultimately voted to confirm Kennedy after receiving assurances that the CDC would retain key vaccine-safety language, including the statement that vaccines do not cause autism. The newly added asterisk indicates the commitment was kept in name, though the surrounding text now reflects Kennedy’s long-standing view that vaccine-safety data is inconclusive.
Cassidy issued a public statement Nov. 20 criticizing the new CDC wording. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), he wrote:
I’m a doctor who has seen people die from vaccine-preventable diseases. What parents need to hear right now is vaccines for measles, polio, hepatitis B and other childhood diseases are safe and effective and will not cause autism. Any statement to the contrary is wrong, irresponsible, and actively makes Americans sicker.
Cassidy also said that HHS appeared to have halted federal autism-genetics research, arguing that redirecting attention toward factors “we know do not cause autism” deprives families of answers. His post has drawn significant attention online, accumulating more than 5.2 million views and over 6,150 comments as of Monday. They are worth reading: https://x.com/SenBillCassidy/status/1991599014270365829
Many commenters — including physicians, nurses, and public-health professionals — sharply criticized Cassidy for supporting Kennedy’s confirmation. Representative comments included:
• “My brother in Christ, this is quite literally your fault.”
• “You’re a doctor who knew better, and you still voted to confirm him.”
• “CDC changed the website per RFK — this is on you. Primum non nocere.”
• “You voted for this. You helped make this happen.”
• “This clown green-lighted the anti-vaxxer he’s now complaining about.”
Some commenters defended Cassidy’s position, but the majority expressed frustration that the Senate confirmed Kennedy despite widespread concerns about his vaccine positions.
Several CDC staff members, speaking anonymously to major news outlets, described surprise at the change, saying it did not go through the agency’s usual scientific review channels. Some expressed concern that the update signals growing political influence over scientific content on federal health websites.