CDC Must Rebuild Trust with Parents

Washington, D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Republican Leader Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) is calling on America’s governors, like Governor Jay Inslee, to not mandate the COVID-19 vaccine for children following the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) vote to add COVID-19 vaccinations to the recommended schedule of vaccines for both adults and children.

In a statement, Leader Rodgers said:

“Rather than work to rebuild the trust it has eroded with the American people, this is another example of the CDC issuing COVID-19 recommendations without being transparent with their data and the science. Like we’ve seen throughout the pandemic, these actions could be used by state governments to undermine a parent’s right to make the best decisions for their children. The CDC owes parents answers as to why its recommended vaccine schedule for COVID-19 is out of step with other countries who have said there is ‘no clear benefit’ to vaccinating young children. Today, I’m urging governors, like Jay Inslee in Washington state, to put parents first and resist the temptation to again abuse their power to issue unscientific, heavy-handed mandates that don’t fully take a child’s overall well-being into account. Our kids have suffered enough from government-enforced school closures and mask mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

In a letter to her home state of Washington’s Governor Jay Inslee today, she wrote:

“I write to ask that you do not mandate COVID-19 vaccines for healthy children and leave that decision to parents and their pediatricians.

“Existing law in Washington State cites the ACIP recommendations from 2019, and if that date was simply updated to 2022, families across the State may be forced to choose between either sending their children to public school or making the best decision for their health. CDC has made clear that the recommendations are not indicative of a support of a mandate on all children, and that decision is left to States. However, throughout the pandemic you have repeatedly used CDC guidance as justification for heavy-handed mandates that kept children out of school and masked them when they were finally allowed to go back. I am concerned that you will use the CDC’s latest action to continue your record of harmful government mandates on our children and strip parents of their rights.”

CLICK HERE to read Leader Rodgers’ full letter to Governor Inslee.

CLICK HERE to read Leader Rodgers’ August 17, 2022, statement on the need for CDC to rebuild trust.