Senate health panel questions Trump nominee on hepatitis B vaccine post

Sen. Bill Cassidy, chair of the Senate Health Committee, questioned President Trump's nominee to lead the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response during a confirmation hearing on Wednesday over a since-deleted LinkedIn post about the hepatitis B vaccine.

The post, written in May 2025 by Sean Kaufman, argued against administering the birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine. It stated that most parents do not let infants engage in high-risk behaviors and questioned why the shot is standard practice in the U.S. The post also noted that several countries do not offer the vaccine to infants at birth.

Cassidy, a physician who has specialized in liver conditions, said the countries cited in the post administer the birth dose because they have high rates of mother-to-infant transmission. He called the post either uninformed or deliberately misleading.

Exchange during hearing Cassidy slammed his hand on the dais and asked Kaufman why he would repeat what he called lies. He said the post destroys trust and that people must speak the truth to rebuild it. Cassidy added that he had seen people die from vaccine-preventable diseases, including hepatitis B.

Kaufman said he removed the post for multiple reasons, including that it was dividing people. He also noted that the post contained the statement that he has always believed vaccines are the gold standard of public health. He denied linking vaccinations to autism or allergies.

Cassidy argued that Kaufman had created such a link by including those topics in the same post as vaccinations. Kaufman maintained that he supports vaccines.