Nomination Fallout: Vaccine Safety and Political Pressure

Dr. Dave Weldon is a physician and former member of Congress. He was born in Amityville, New York, on August 31, 1953. After graduating from Stony Brook University in 1978, he earned his M.D. from the University at Buffalo School of Medicine in 1981. Dr. Weldon served in the U.S Army from 1981 to 1987 and in the Army Reserve from 1987 until 1992. After his military service, he practiced medicine in Florida. Dr. Weldon represented Florida’s 15th congressional district in Congress from 1995 to 2009. He is a physician at Health First Medical Group in Malabar, Florida. President Donald Trump nominated Dr. Weldon in November 2024 to serve as Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); however, his nomination was withdrawn by the White House on March 13, 2025, just hours before his scheduled Senate confirmation hearing. Dr. Weldon is married to Nancy Weldon and they have two children.