Stupid Party

Science Subcommittee Chairman Doesn’t Vaccinate His Children

Written by SK Ashby

Last week Representative Barry Loudermilk (R-GA) regaled us with the fantastical tale of House Republicans openly discussing arresting Attorney General Eric Holder at the 2015 State of the Union address, but that was not the gist of his batshittery.

At the same town hall gathering where Loudermilk disclosed that the Flying Monkey Caucus discussed arresting the attorney general, he also said that he did not vaccinate his children because they're healthy.

Loudermilk was responding to a woman who asked whether he'd be looking into (discredited) allegations that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had covered up information linking vaccines to autism. He responded with a rather unscientific personal anecdote: "I believe it's the parents' decision whether to immunize or not…Most of our children, we didn't immunize. They're healthy."

Loudermilk is the chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight in the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.

His status as the chairman charged with overseeing matters of SCIENCE is not just an amusing anecdote as Loudermilk also told his constituents at the town hall gathering that he may hold hearings to determine if the CDC is covering up a link between vaccines and autism.

LOUDERMILK: Yes [...] very possibly we could do that. It's all jurisdictional but it sounds like that's within the jurisdictional boundaries.

On one hand I think it's irresponsible to dignify these accusations with official hearings, but on the other hand I relish any opportunity House Republicans take to demonstrate that they aren't serious adults and should not be handed the keys to government.