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Dave Weldon | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2005 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromFlorida's15th district | |
| In office January 3, 1995 – January 3, 2009 | |
| Preceded by | Jim Bacchus |
| Succeeded by | Bill Posey |
| Personal details | |
| Born | David Joseph Weldon (1953-08-31)August 31, 1953 (age 72) Amityville, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Stony Brook University (BS) University at Buffalo (MD) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Years of service |
|
| Unit | United States Army Reserve |
David Joseph Weldon (born August 31, 1953) is an American physician and former politician who served as a Republican member of theUnited States House of Representatives fromFlorida's 15th congressional district from 1995 to 2009.[1] A practicing internal medicine doctor prior to entering public office, Weldon was active in Congress on issues related to space policy, veterans’ health, and biomedical research funding. He served on theHouse Appropriations Committee and was active in shapingNASA andDepartment of Defense priorities during his tenure, particularly related to theKennedy Space Center and the broaderSpace Coast region.[2][3]
Following his retirement from Congress, Weldon continued to engage in public policy, medical advocacy, and nonprofit work, including serving as chairman of theIsrael Allies Foundation. He also returned to practicing medicine and took on teaching and advisory roles atFlorida Institute of Technology, where he donated his congressional archives.[4][5]
Weldon was born inAmityville, New York, to Anna and David Weldon. He graduated fromFarmingdale High School in 1971. He earned a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry from theState University of New York at Stony Brook in 1978 and received his Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree from theUniversity at Buffalo in 1981.[6][7] After completing his internship and residency in internal medicine, Weldon served as a U.S. Army physician from 1981 to 1987, achieving the rank of Major. He was stationed at several military hospitals.[7]
Following his military service, he entered private practice in internal medicine in Florida’s Space Coast region.
In the 1994 elections, Weldon decided to run inFlorida's 15th congressional district, vacated by Democratic U.S. congressmanJim Bacchus. He was one of seven Republicans to file for the primary. On September 8, he ranked first with 24% of the vote, but failed to reach the 50% threshold to win outright.[8] In the October 4 run-off election, he defeated Carole Jean Jordan 54–46%.[9] In the November general election, he defeated Democrat Sue Munsey 54–46%.[10]
In 1996, he won re-election to a second term defeating John L. Byron 51–43%.[11] In 1998, he won re-election to a third term with 63% of the vote.[12] In 2000, he won re-election to a fourth term with 59% of the vote.[13] In 2002, he won re-election to a fifth term with 63% of the vote.[14] In 2004, he won re-election to a sixth term with 65% of the vote.[15]
Former presidential candidateBob Bowman, a Democrat, challenged Weldon in 2006. The incumbent raised significantly more campaign funds than Bowman. By the end of September, Weldon's total was $673,321 versus $21,944 for Bowman.[16] Weldon also refused to debate Bowman during the campaign.[17] In the November election, Weldon received 125,596 votes to Bowman's 97,947.[18] Weldon won re-election to a seventh term with 56% of the vote.[19]
On January 25, 2008, Weldon announced he would not seek an eighth term and would be returning to his medical practice, with a spokesperson explaining that "[h]e never wanted to be a career politician."[20] He endorsed state senatorBill Posey to succeed him.
In 2004, Weldon introduced the Weldon Amendment[21] to an appropriations measure. The amendment prevents healthcare programs receiving federal funding from requiring healthcare entities (including doctors, hospitals, and health insurance plans) to provide, pay for, or refer for abortion services. The amendment has been included in annual appropriations bills since 2005.[22][23]
In response to the legal battle over the removal of the feeding tube ofTerri Schiavo, Weldon introduced legislation to force review of the case by the federal government. Weldon, who has a medical degree, believed that Schiavo was not in a vegetative state. He supported his belief saying, "She responds to verbal stimuli, she attempts to vocalize, she tracks with her eyes, she emotes, she attempts to kiss her father."[24]
In December, 2005, Weldon joined with several other congressmen to form theSecond Amendments, arock andcountry band set to play for United States troops stationed overseas over the holiday season. Weldon plays the bass guitar.[25]
During his tenure in Congress, Weldon promoted the disproven claim thatthimerosal, a mercury-based preservative once used in some vaccines, waslinked to an increase in autism. In 2007, he introduced legislation aimed at transferring vaccine safety oversight from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to an independent agency within theDepartment of Health and Human Services (HHS).[26][22][27][28] He cited concerns about the integrity of the federal vaccine safety review process, stating there were conflicts of interest and inadequate research funding as reasons for introducing the bill. Weldon has publicly questioned the safety of specific vaccines, including themeasles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine andGardasil, a vaccine that protects against certain strains ofhuman papillomavirus (HPV).[22][27][28]
Weldon was a vocal advocate formedical privacy rights, sponsoring legislation to limit government access to patient health records without consent.[29]
Weldon decided to run for the U.S. Senate in 2012 in the hope of facing Democratic incumbentBill Nelson. His opponent in the Republican primary was U.S. representativeConnie Mack IV. Weldon ran as aChristian conservative, and trailed Mack in both funding and name recognition. He lost the Republican primary with 20% of the vote, coming in second behind Mack's 59%. Mack went on to lose the general election to Nelson, 42%-55%.
Weldon ran for Florida's 32nd House of Representatives district in 2024 against state senatorDebbie Mayfield, losing the primary 35% to 65%.[citation needed]
Weldon has a medical practice at Health First Medical Group inMalabar, Florida.[citation needed]
In 2017, he became the president of theAlliance of Health Care Sharing Ministries, a trade group for Christian organizations that offered an alternative to traditional health insurance.[22]
On November 22, 2024,Donald Trump nominated Weldon as the next director of theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention, who requires Senate confirmation.[31] According toThe Washington Post, Secretary of Health and Human Services nomineeRobert F. Kennedy Jr. proposed Weldon to the position.[32] His nomination drew attention for his promotion of the claim of a causal link betweenvaccines and autism, his critiques of the CDC and federal health officials, his position that abstinence was the most effective way to curb sexually transmitted infections, and the fact that he lacked training or experience in public health, including running an organization as large as the CDC.[22] Anti-vaccine activists and groups celebrated his nomination.[33][32][34] Trump withdrew his nomination in March 2025.[35]
Weldon has promoted the scientifically disproved claim of a causal link betweenvaccines and autism.[22][33][32] In 2016, he appeared in the anti-vaccine movieVaxxed; the conspiracy moviemaker, discredited doctor, and fraudulent anti-vaccine activistAndrew Wakefield touted Weldon as his ideal choice as the CDC director inTrump's first presidency. In a 2019 appearance on a TV show broadcast by theSinclair Broadcast Group, Weldon falsely claimed "some children can get an autism spectrum disorder from a vaccine". Weldon has called himself a supporter of vaccines and has voiced support ofCOVID-19 vaccines.[32]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromFlorida's 15th congressional district 1995–2009 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Former U.S. Representative | Order of precedence of the United States as Former U.S. Representative | Succeeded byas Former U.S. Representative |
