NEWS: Senator Blunt Rochester Investigates HHS Decision to Delay Review of Measles Elimination Status

Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pension, today sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to request information on decision to reschedule the April meeting of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and postpone discussions of the United States' measles elimination status until after the upcoming midterm elections. According to an HHS spokesperson, the meeting was postponed due to HHS needing additional time to review data. However, Secretary Kennedy denied HHS involvement in the decision.

"Measles elimination has been defined as 'interruption of endemic measles virus transmission for a period greater than or equal to 12 months, in the presence of high-quality surveillance.'" Senator Blunt Rochester wrote. "By that definition, the United States is at serious risk of losing our measles elimination status, with outbreaks raging across the country since early 2025."

"However, the meeting was postponed in early March, just a month before the RVC was set to convene, because your Department allegedly needed more time to analyze the measles data according to United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) spokesman Andrew Nixon. It will now take place in November, likely after the midterm elections," Blunt Rochester continued. "While the sequencing of measles data is understandably complicated, it stands to reason that the elimination of tens of thousands of employees from your Department-including top scientists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-could feasibly have played a role in this delay. Which means that American voters will not have information about your Department's response to the widespread measles outbreaks prior to casting their votes at the polls this November, which is unacceptable."

"The lives of American people are at risk here. Measles elimination status is a marker of a government's interest and investment in measles prevention and control through widespread vaccination. It's also an investment in the health and safety of a country's children," Blunt Rochester concluded. "Losing our status shows that you do not care about the thousands of children that have contracted this deadly, vaccine-preventable disease, and signifies a future where vaccine-preventable diseases may once again become endemic in our country."

The full text of the letter can be found here, and below.

Dear Secretary Kennedy:

I write with concern regarding the recent decision to postpone the scheduled April meeting of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), at which the measles elimination status of the United States was to be discussed, to after the midterm elections in November 2026. We seek clarity on the reasons for this decision, who in your Department was involved in the decision, and whether the White House was consulted or informed.

As you know, the United States eliminated measles in 2000. Measles elimination has been defined as "interruption of endemic measles virus transmission for a period greater than or equal to 12 months, in the presence of high-quality surveillance." By that definition, the United States is at serious risk of losing our measles elimination status, with outbreaks raging across the country since early 2025.

PAHO, the specialized international health agency for the Americas, is responsible for monitoring the elimination status of measles, rubella, and congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) in countries across the Americas through its Regional Verification Commission (RVC). Pursuant to this responsibility, PAHO announced a meeting with the United States and Mexico, set for April 13, 2026, to review the measles elimination status for the two countries. Many experts expected that the United States would officially lose its elimination status at this meeting.

However, the meeting was postponed in early March, just a month before the RVC was set to convene, because your Department allegedly needed more time to analyze the measles data according to United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) spokesman Andrew Nixon. It will now take place in November, likely after the midterm elections. While the sequencing of measles data is understandably complicated, it stands to reason that the elimination of tens of thousands of employees from your Department-including top scientists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-could feasibly have played a role in this delay. Which means that American voters will not have information about your Department's response to the widespread measles outbreaks prior to casting their votes at the polls this November, which is unacceptable.

During your appearance before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) on April 22, 2026, I asked you about this decision, seeking clarity on the process HHS underwent to request the delay of PAHO's meeting. You denied that you or your Department had any role in the decision. Most troubling, you appeared confused by the information and repeatedly affirmed to me that you had no knowledge of the request and did not speak to the White House about it.

The lack of transparency from you and your Department on this matter is alarming. Your words on the record before the Senate contradict the statement from your own spokesperson, made only one month prior to your testimony. You have not spoken about the PAHO meeting since then, and you have not provided clarity on how this decision was made and who in your Department requested the meeting be delayed.

The lives of American people are at risk here. Measles elimination status is a marker of a government's interest and investment in measles prevention and control through widespread vaccination. It's also an investment in the health and safety of a country's children. Losing our status shows that you do not care about the thousands of children that have contracted this deadly, vaccine-preventable disease, and signifies a future where vaccine-preventable diseases may once again become endemic in our country.

One of your stated goals as Secretary is to deliver the most transparent HHS in history in order to restore trust in our country's public health institutions. During your time as Secretary, public trust in HHS and in you has plummeted, making transparency on this matter especially important.

We need answers about why this decision was made and who in your Department made it. I ask that you respond to the following questions by June 21, 2026:

1. Please explain your Department's decision-making process for requesting to postpone the PAHO meeting to November 2026. As part of this explanation, please provide a copy of all internal documentation and communication pertaining to the request.
2. How many scientists have historically worked on the sequencing process to determine measles elimination status, and how many scientists are currently available and assigned to this project at the CDC?
3. In your April 22, 2026, testimony before the Senate HELP Committee, you stated that you did not know about and were not involved in any request to postpone the PAHO meeting. Please explain how that testimony can be reconciled with your Department spokesperson's earlier public statement that HHS requested the delay. Who in the Department of Health and Human Services signed off on the request to postpone the meeting? Please list all employees involved in the decision.
4. Was the White House consulted, informed, or asked to approve the request to postpone the April PAHO meeting? If so, please identify the officials involved and provide dates of those communications. Did you receive President Trump's approval to move forward with the request?
5. Please provide detailed justification for why the Department needs more time to analyze the measles data. Please also identify the specific data gaps, analytical questions, or methodological issues that required additional time, and state when those issues were first identified.
6. Did HHS communicate the postponement request to PAHO in writing? If so, please provide the writing request and any response from PAHO.
7. What steps, if any, has HHS taken since the postponement to assess the implications of a potential loss of U.S. measles elimination status for domestic outbreak control, vaccination policy, and U.S. standing in the region?