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The Shreveport Times reported this week that “Republican U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy said Louisiana Surgeon General Ralph Abraham should consider writing a 'blanket’ prescription for the COVID-19 vaccine for anyone who wants the shot.” This comes, of course, in the wake of the decision by HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr., whom Cassidy voted to confirm, to recommend the vaccine for fewer people than had been previously deemed prudent. Now, there is confusion about how to access the vaccine and whether it’s necessary, as Kennedy, who is a vaccine skeptic, continues to discourage the use of immunizations that have kept Americans safer for decades. Currently, the CDC website offers no guidance on taking the vaccine for the 2025-26 season.
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Despite his request of his home state’s surgeon general, Cassidy, a medical doctor, continues to support the HHS secretary he helped to confirm. But if his recent tweets are any measure, he doesn’t seem to support a lot of his policies.
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Cassidy, without criticizing Kennedy, points out the Louisiana whooping cough outbreak and notes unvaccinated babies are being hospitalized and even dying.
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And of course, measles. Kennedy notably opposes the vaccine. He downplayed its value as cases surged earlier this year, only grudgingly changing course and recommending it while falsely claiming the protection doesn’t last for very long. A measles outbreak in Samoa in 2019 proved catastrophic after Kennedy visited the country and discouraged vaccination, part of his work as chairman of Children’s Health Defense, an anti-vaccine nonprofit.
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Kennedy had a contentious oversight hearing before the Senate Finance Committee on September 4. It was marked by heated exchanges with both Republicans and Democrats, given the turmoil at federal agencies that support public health in America. Cassidy grilled Kennedy on issues like the inconsistency between his denigration of the Covid vaccine even as he agrees Trump deserves a Nobel Prize for Operation Warp Speed, which delivered it.
Despite the exchanges at the hearing, neither Cassidy nor other Republicans are calling for Kennedy’s resignation. Mediocrity, even dangerous risks to Americans, are apparently preferable to expulsion from the party and the Congress.
You might think Cassidy would feel betrayed by Kennedy and the administration. His statement announcing his key vote to advance Kennedy’s nomination out of committee included this:
“Mr. Kennedy and the administration reached out seeking to reassure me regarding their commitment to protecting the public health benefit of vaccination …
He has also committed that he would work within the current vaccine approval and safety monitoring systems, and not establish parallel systems. If confirmed, he will maintain the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices without changes.”
But Cassidy, who is up for reelection in 2026 after being one of the seven GOP senators who voted to convict Trump following his impeachment related to January 6, apparently is more concerned with his upcoming primary than with his constituents’ health. He is trying to deal with some of the consequences of Kennedy’s “leadership,” but he is doing so without addressing the root cause of the problem, the Secretary himself.
It’s yet another example of the defining principle for the MAGA Republican Party: hypocrisy. Support Trump in all things, including his nomination of people who are totally unfit for their important roles in government; put yourself above the people who elected you to serve them; try to keep your seat by, for instance, skirting plain medical truths. We enter the week with a heavy dose of that hypocrisy hanging over the country.
Memphis, Not Chicago
“We’re going to Memphis,” Trump said last week during a Fox News interview, calling it a “deeply troubled” city. “National Guard and anybody else we need. And by the way, we’ll bring in the military too, if we need it.” Apparently, he’s backing down from a fight with Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and angry Chicagoans and is setting his sights on the blue dot in the deep red state that is Memphis. A friendly governor will give him an easier path towards using claims of out of control crime (and Memphis has its fair share of problems) to expand the acceptable reach of the federal government in putting National Guard troops on American streets.
We will learn this week if he is serious, but shifting his goal signals an unfortunate level of foresight and planning as Trump continues his efforts to ex