Trump’s vaccine order is counterproductive and ‘wrong on so many levels,’ GOP lawmaker says

Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, an increasingly sharp critic of President Donald Trump, on Sunday called the president’s vaccine order to separate injections for measles, mumps and rubella “wrong on so many levels” because, among other things, it would require children to receive more shots.

“Let’s just take it from the perspective of the parent,” Cassidy, a doctor who chairs the Senate’s Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, said during an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “Now, instead of going to the doctor twice to get their child vaccinated, they have to go six times.” “Instead of Mom or Dad missing work twice … to take their child to the doctor, they have to miss work or take vacation or personal leave six times,” he added. “This is inconvenient. It’s going to contribute to an increased loss of income.” “The president’s proposal is going to end up with more children being sick,” Cassidy said. During a Sunday appearance on ABC News’ “This Week,” the Louisiana senator said: “This is why the president’s poll numbers are down, because you’ve lost sight of affordability for the parent, you’ve lost sight of the convenience for the American family, you’ve lost sight of that which is driving higher costs in health care.” Cassidy has become an increasingly vocal critic of the president after he lost to a Trump-backed primary challenger, becoming the first GOP senator to lose renomination in close to a decade. CNN has reached out the White House for a reaction to Cassidy’s criticism. Trump’s order says the combination vaccine that protects against measles, mumps and rubella, called MMR, “should be administered in three separate single-disease shots,” and that all childhood immunizations should be given at separate medical visits. “Nothing bad can happen from what we are doing,” Trump said while speaking in the Oval Office on Monday. “The worst thing that could happen would be nothing happens. We’re not going to lose anything.” The executive order marked the latest blow for Cassidy, who cast a deciding vote to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health and human services secretary last year despite deep concerns about his anti-vaccine views.