Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, slammed President Donald Trump's executive order calling for fewer childhood vaccines and splitting some immunizations into separate medical visits.
Cassidy, who lost a primary for reelection in May, told CNN during an Aug. 13 interview that dividing the childhood measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine into three shots could take a toll on families and increase insurance costs − but not offer health benefits for children.
Cassidy, a physician and chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, said that instead of parents taking their children to get vaccinated twice, they could have to go to a doctor's office six times, potentially missing work for the additional appointments.
"This is inconvenient.
It's going to contribute to an increased loss of income. And by the way, instead of the insurance company paying for two doctor's visits, they're paying for six, which is going to ultimately drive up premiums, going after affordability," Cassidy said.
USA TODAY has reached out to The White House for comment.
When asked by CNN's Jake Tapper about Trump saying the vaccine moves could "save millions of lives," Cassidy responded "If it wasn't so potentially tragic, you would break out laughing at a comment like that."
The Republican lawmaker is a gastroenterologist, which focuses on the body's digestive system.
"It is wrong on so many levels, and this is frankly why I think the president is accused of losing focus on affordability," Cassidy alleged. "This is working backwards on affordability."
The senator added, "And by the way, MAHA wants fewer jabs, not more. This substitutes two jabs with six jabs. And so even the people he's trying to appeal to have to scratch their heads and think 'What in the hell is going on here?'"
Cassidy questioned over RFK Jr. vote
When Tapper questioned Cassidy over criticism he's faced for voting to confirm Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime vaccine skeptic, Cassidy said that "people always want to bring that up and all I can say is you have to live life living forward."
The Louisiana senator argued that "we should have positive policy to improve the health of the American people." Cassidy said that making America healthy again should increase, not decrease, immunization rates.
Last week, Trump made several accusations about vaccines while signing his executive order, including telling reporters that "together there could be a possibility [the MMR vaccine is] quite lethal and separately, it looks like they are not at all lethal, but just very effective."
Experts say the MMR vaccine is not lethal when given together, and medical research does not back the president's argument that there are health benefits to splitting the immunizations.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Republican senator criticizes Trump on 'wrong' comments about vaccines
