Measles Hit 4,080 Cases, the Most Since 1991. Make HHS Answer For It.

I am writing as your constituent because the United States is enduring its worst measles year in 35 years, and the federal agency responsible for stopping it has not been made to answer for its decisions. On October 9, the CDC reported 4,080 confirmed cases this year—the most since 1991 and 78% above all of 2025. Cases rose by 193 last week alone. 414 people have been hospitalized, and 95% of patients were unvaccinated or had unknown vaccination status. New York declared a statewide disaster emergency, and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is set to review our national measles elimination status in November.  Here are the documented facts behind this crisis: - Advisory Paralyzation & Legal Gridlock: In January, HHS moved to slash the childhood vaccine schedule from 17 routine recommendations to 11. On March 16, a federal judge stayed that change and stayed Secretary Kennedy’s 13 appointments to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) for violating federal advisory balance laws. The First Circuit heard oral arguments on October 6, and ACIP remains paralyzed and unable to convene a quorum while outbreaks spread.  - Conflicting Mortality Data: The CDC officially counts two measles deaths this year, while state health departments report at least five (including two infants in Pennsylvania). The CDC recently changed its classification criteria for measles deaths, creating confusion between federal tallies and frontline state data.  - Institutional Attrition: Roughly 15% of CDC staff have departed the agency amid structural reorganizations, hobbling frontline outbreak deployment. I am not claiming HHS created this outbreak. I am saying the agency spent this year fighting to slash the vaccine schedule and sideline its advisory panel—all while basic public health tracking and institutional capacity broke down. I demand that you: 1. Hold a public oversight hearing before PAHO’s November review, compelling Secretary Kennedy and CDC leadership to testify under oath regarding measles outbreak containment. 2. Require the CDC to publish a reconciled national death count within 14 days, including full public disclosure of the methodology behind recent classification changes, backed by subpoena if missed. 3. Attach language to the upcoming HHS appropriations bill prohibiting federal funds from being used to alter the pediatric immunization schedule without formal, quorum-approved ACIP review. 4. Require a line-by-line accounting from HHS on how much appropriated immunization and surveillance funding has been diverted away from frontline outbreak response. Over 4,000 cases, a paralyzed vaccine advisory panel, and contradictory death counts are exactly what congressional oversight exists to correct. Do your job before November.