CLEVELAND, Ohio — Sen. Jon Husted took aim at the CDC, accusing the agency of letting “politics override science” during the pandemic — while sidestepping how his own party fueled vaccine skepticism from the start.
On cleveland.com’s “Today in Ohio” podcast, hosts Leila Atassi, Courtney Astolfi, Laura Johnston and Lisa Garvin called out the hypocrisy, connecting Husted’s attack to a broader Republican strategy of undermining public health that began during Donald Trump’s first term and continues today.
During a Senate Health Committee hearing, Husted condemned what he called “politically motivated decisions” by the CDC during the pandemic, claiming the agency prioritized “politics and special interests” over science. But the podcast hosts weren’t buying his selective outrage.
“First of all, he’s pointing a finger at the CDC for letting politics override science. But he’s playing politics, too. He’s framing himself as this truth teller against scare tactics while glossing over the fact that vaccine skepticism has been weaponized by his own party since the very beginning of the pandemic,” said Atassi, cutting through Husted’s rhetoric to expose the hypocrisy.
The podcast highlighted a troubling through-line from Trump’s early pandemic response to today’s increasingly restrictive vaccine policies. Where Americans could once easily access COVID vaccines at any pharmacy, the Trump administration’s new guidelines limit eligibility to those over 65 or those with specific health conditions – creating unnecessary barriers that fuel vaccine hesitancy.
Atassi traced this politicization back to its source: “Public health didn’t used to be a partisan wedge. It became politicized the moment Donald Trump decided that downplaying Covid was better for him than admitting his administration couldn’t control it. His base took their cues from that, and suddenly masks, vaccines and basic efforts to slow the spread of infection became a litmus test of political identity.”
The podcast hosts expressed frustration at the current administration’s confusing new vaccine policies, which seem designed to discourage vaccination, rather than promote it. “Last year, anyone who wanted protection could walk into a pharmacy,” Atassi noted. “And now you’ve got to be over 65 or have the right diagnosis. And younger people are being told to jump through those hoops. So, people who are already skeptical are going to see these restrictions as proof that the government doesn’t really think vaccines are important.”
The discussion highlighted how the Trump administration’s restrictive new guidelines play directly into the hands of vaccine skeptics, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy where reduced access leads to reduced uptake, which is then used to justify further restrictions. Meanwhile, political figures like Husted continue to undermine trust in the institutions tasked with protecting public health.
The podcast connected these developments to the appointment of vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to head HHS, pointing out that the CDC could potentially tighten vaccine access rules even further – a far cry from the evidence-based approach Husted claims to support.
Listen to the full conversation here.
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