Many major medical and health care organizations have decided to ignore new guidance from the federal government related to the childhood vaccination schedule.
President Donald Trump and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently reduced the number of immunizations routinely recommended for all children from 17 to 11.
Last September, Republican U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood voiced concerns about some of the statements coming out of Kennedy's department. But LaHood is refusing to break entirely with the Trump administration on the vaccine question — while acknowledging he now has more than just concerns.
“I do. I would tell my constituents to rely on their own doctor, their own medical advice that they get. This is a personal decision. They ought to be able to have the right to do that," said LaHood.
He stopped short of saying physicians and the government should largely agree on the question.
“I think there can be distinctions. Clearly this administration has had a number of those with the new HHS secretary and some of the advocacy that that he's been doing. Again, I go back, to I think most of the decisions are personal decisions,” said LaHood.
He also declined to call for the federal government to reverse itself on the new vaccine guidance.
“I think many of these decisions are personal decisions, and they ought to be made on an independent level by families, and moms and dads for their own kids,” said LaHood.
Last week, the Illinois Department of Public Health said it will adopt the 2026 child and adolescent immunization schedule recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. The department said there is no scientific data to warrant a change.
Grant funding
LaHood has announced two significant grants for the Twin Cities — $1.5 million for an air cargo road at Central Illinois Regional Airport, and more than $556,000 for the City of Bloomington to update its real time information and crime center technology.
The airport grant will go toward the design and construction of a road that will let the Airport Authority separate truck and passenger traffic.
“Air Cargo continues to be an economic driver in McLean County,” said LaHood. “It pertains to public safety, but it also will have an economic benefit to the airport with further growth in our air cargo area.”
The grant for Bloomington will buy technology and software for the region’s only Real Time Information and Crime Center. It includes live crime mapping, and other tools the department cannot currently afford.
“It'll be state of the art in terms of what they'll have there. It will include technology that pertains to crime, mapping predictive analytics and expanding Public Safety Camera infrastructure. These are all tools that will allow the department to continue to upgrade their vital services for Bloomington,” said LaHood.
Legislative goals
LaHood said his top priority is passage of a new Farm Bill.
Right after that, he wants Congress to work on reducing tariffs this year. He noted the Supreme Court is expected to rule on the legality of some tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act [IEEPA]. LaHood said that decision will give the nation an opportunity to pivot.
“We in Congress have to be a co-equal branch of government when it comes to tariffs,” said LaHood, adding tariffs are taxes on farmers, manufacturers and producers.
“We need to have a reduction in tariffs, particularly how they affect our allies. And I think it's been a hindrance on the economy in many ways,” said LaHood.
The administration is offering roughly $12 billion in bridge payments to farmers who have lost market share or stable commodities prices through markets lost to tariffs. LaHood said that is not enough and farmers prefer trade to aid.
“You have to have market access. You have to work with our like-minded allies to reduce some of these tariff burdens, particularly when you look at countries that we have strong alliances with — Japan, South Korea, you know, our European allies, the European Union,” said LaHood.
He called for creating more free trade agreements with countries like India that will allow U.S. agriculture better access to those markets.
He said farmers also would benefit from passage of a renewable fuel standard that includes ethanol. And LaHood said he wants to work on measures that make health care more affordable.
