Children Are Dying. Hold Trump and Kennedy Accountable

Two children are dead from a disease we eliminated 25 years ago. As your constituent, I am outraged — and I am watching what you do next. The United States ended 2025 with 2,144 confirmed measles cases, the most since 1991. We are already at 1,575 cases in 2026, and the year is barely three months old. Three people died last year, including two young girls. This is not a natural disaster. This is a policy disaster with names attached to it. Before his confirmation, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made explicit promises to Senator Bill Cassidy: that he would not change the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee (ACIP) and would not alter the vaccine schedule. He broke both promises within months. He fired all 17 ACIP members and replaced them with vaccine skeptics. He removed six childhood vaccines from the routine-use recommendation, threatening insurance coverage for millions of families. He promoted cod liver oil and steroids as measles treatments — remedies with no scientific basis — while failing to strongly urge vaccination during active outbreaks. The Trump administration also impeded the CDC’s response during the critical early weeks of the West Texas outbreak and delayed federal emergency funding. The result: childhood vaccination rates have dropped below the 95% threshold required for herd immunity, leaving approximately 286,000 kindergartners unprotected. The United States is now on the verge of losing its measles elimination status for the first time since 2000. I am demanding you take action immediately: Issue a public statement by April 15 affirming that the MMR vaccine is safe, effective, and essential — no hedging, no both-sidesing. Call for congressional hearings into how these federal policy changes fueled this outbreak, and whether the administration’s conduct constitutes negligence. Introduce or co-sponsor legislation protecting insurance coverage for all vaccines on the existing immunization schedule. Demand the reinstatement of a qualified, independent, science-based ACIP. Advocate for emergency funding to states for outbreak response and vaccination outreach. Children are dying from a preventable disease because of reckless leadership in Washington. Silence from you is a choice — and I will remember it. I am sharing this letter publicly and will be following your response closely. Hold them accountable.