Republicans Criticize Florida Vaccine Policy

Republicans on Capitol Hill are speaking out against Florida's ending vaccine mandates for school children.

Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., an obstetrician, said on Newsmax Tuesday he thinks Florida's policy goes too far.

"I believe in empowering local school boards with the information, the transparency and the trust to make those decisions," Marshall said on "National Report." "Vaccines like the MMR vaccine, polio, those serve way beyond just the children they're protecting. It's protecting the entire community as well."

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., told The Hill that vaccines have helped prevent the spread of diseases like measles and polio.

"My children are vaccinated, my grandchildren are vaccinated," Moore Capito said. I don't agree with that."

The Florida Department of Health said the state would drop requirements for vaccinations against chickenpox, hepatitis B, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), and pneumococcal diseases such as meningitis. The rule change was filed Sept. 3 and is expected to take effect in about 90 days.

All other required vaccines, including for measles, polio, diphtheria, pertussis, mumps, and tetanus, will remain in place unless lawmakers extend the repeal.

By lifting the mandates, Florida would become the first state to make some childhood vaccines voluntary, a sharp break from decades of public health policy and research.

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., ripped the move, calling it "a horrible idea."

"I think it's a bad idea, and I think it could create … a pressure on other states to do the same thing," Tillis told The Hill. "I just think it's bad policy. I don't think it's rooted in science. I think it's rooted in political science, but not epidemiology.

"I think it's a mistake, and I think there could be some one-upsmanship measure that I hope North Carolina doesn't touch."

Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Ga., a physician, supported Florida's decision saying vaccine requirements in a "freedom-based society" like the U.S. will backfire, he told The Hill.

"It's a poor salesmanship to mandate things in American society, even if it's for your health," he said. "If you're protected by a vaccination, what are you worried about that person for?"

• Florida Surgeon General: No Projections Needed in Vaccine Mandate Rollback
• Sen. Marshall to Newsmax: We Need Trust, Transparency in CDC