The official nominated by President Donald Trump to be the top deputy to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. expressed support for vaccines during his confirmation hearing in Washington on Sept. 15.
Chris Klomp, the current chief counselor at the Department of Health and Human Services, said at one point that the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine “is the single most effective public health tool” that we have against measles.
He declined to offer similar promotion of the influenza vaccine, which is estimated to have lower effectiveness.
Klomp also dismissed the idea that the MMR vaccine is linked to autism disorder.
“I do not believe, based on the preponderance of evidence I have seen, that MMR vaccines cause autism,” Klomp said.
“But we also do not know what causes autism and that, as a country, that should concern us greatly, and we need to understand that answer because it affects millions.”
Later, he told Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) that Kennedy supported him being selected despite knowing that they frequently disagree on a range of topics.
Kennedy and other officials have said that vaccines may or do cause autism, pointing to papers that have suggested an association. Some other studies have found no link.
Klomp was answering questions from Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), who said he takes issue with Kennedy’s positions on vaccines, including suggestions that the measles vaccine contains aborted fetal tissue, an apparent reference to how trials on the rubella component used a strain of cells developed from an aborted fetus.
Wyden also pointed out that measles cases in the United States have risen since early 2025, hitting a high this year not recorded since 1991, and blamed Kennedy’s comments on the measles shot.
“Vaccination remains the most effective way to prevent measles. Secretary Kennedy has been clear and consistent on this point,” a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services told The Epoch Times previously.
“Individuals should consult with their health care provider about what is best for them and their family.”
Kennedy has noted that MMR vaccination rates began dropping before he took office.
Klomp said on Sept. 15, “As a department, our absolute stance is we strongly encourage individuals to be vaccinated.”
He said that multiple other countries have been dealing with outbreaks of measles.
Klomp said that he is not a vaccine expert and that he was not familiar with the ingredients of the measles vaccine.
“My understanding was that the very earliest instances of that vaccine contained tissue many decades ago,” Klomp said. “I do not believe that the vaccine continues to contain that tissue today.”
He also said that a portion of the population has concerns about the safety of vaccines, that it was important not “to sweep questions under the rug,” and that the department is studying vaccine safety.
He said he backed Trump’s recent proposal to provide stand-alone shots against measles, mumps, and rubella.
Some Republicans said they will vote for Klomp, including Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.).
“You are completely and well-qualified to be deputy secretary at the Department of Health and Human Services,” Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) said during the hearing.
Wyden and some other Democrats said they do not support the nominee, in part because the administration has not released deals reached with drugmakers.
Klomp, who was involved in negotiations, said that details that have not been made public are proprietary information.
“You and Secretary Kennedy are keeping these pharma deals secret,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) told Klomp.