ORLANDO, Fla. – A former Brevard County congressman and doctor is President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Centers for Disease Control.
Dr. Dave Weldon was nominated by Trump late Friday.
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Weldon, a U.S. Army veteran, represented Brevard County from 1995 to 2008, where he focused on health care, space, and veterans issues. Weldon rode a wave of Republican popularity into Congress in 1994.
Weldon was known for being a staunch Christian conservative while in Congress. His record shows he fought efforts to use taxpayer dollars for abortions, was a co-sponsor of the Defense of Marriage Act, worked to ban human cloning, and was against using taxpayer funding for embryonic stem cell research. He also promoted abstinence-only sex education programs.
Weldon was also a critic of vaccine policy in the United States. He tried to make changes to the CDC and its work on vaccine research, moving that work to an independent agency within U.S. Health and Human Services.
Weldon ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate and most recently tried to run for Florida House District 32, but lost in the Republican primary.
It’s believed Weldon’s criticism of the CDC and its handling of vaccine research will make him an ally of vaccine critic Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has been nominated to be U.S. Health and Human Services secretary.
Information from News Service of Florida was used in this report.
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