By Michael Erman and Jarrett Renshaw
NEW YORK (Reuters) -The White House is considering former Republican Representative Michael Burgess to run the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention after withdrawing the nomination of vaccine critic Dave Weldon last week, according to three sources familiar with the matter.
One source who was briefed on the matter said Burgess was the likely nominee but cautioned that no decision had been made.
Burgess, 74, is a Texas physician who retired from Congress in January after 22 years. During the pandemic, he described vaccines to Congress as “safe and effective tools that have been proven to protect Americans from preventable, life-threatening diseases,” and spoke about the need to confront vaccine hesitancy in the country.
Burgess and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
(Reporting by Michael Erman; editing by Caroline Humer and Rod Nickel)
