CNN Host Left Speechless When GOP Senator Presses Her on Vaccine History [WATCH]

Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma pressed CNN host Kasie Hunt on Thursday about the growing number of vaccines children are expected to receive, a question that appeared to catch her off guard during a segment discussing a contentious Senate Finance Committee hearing.

The hearing earlier that day featured Democrats criticizing Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over his skepticism of certain vaccines for children.

On CNN’s The Arena, Hunt asked Mullin if he believed that fewer children might fall ill if families followed the full recommended vaccine schedule.

She noted that Oklahoma schools require six vaccines for children to attend.

Mullin responded by asking Hunt if she knew the total number of vaccines now administered to children through school and college.

Hunt answered that Kennedy “would say about 76,” though she added that the official number from HHS was less clear. Mullin then asked her to compare that figure to the number of vaccines in 1980.

“Sir, I, this is, I don’t know, because I didn’t vaccinate kids in 1980! I’m doing it now, so I know the vaccine’s coming out,” Hunt said.

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During the 1980s, children were recommended to receive about eight to 10 doses covering six to seven diseases before school entry.

Under the current 2025 CDC schedule, children may receive more than 30 doses protecting against at least 16 different diseases.

Hunt sought to clarify Kennedy’s use of the “76” figure, saying it was misleading.

“It counts up the number of times there are, say, three courses for MMR, right? You need three shots over the years to get vaccinated for MMR. So when you count them all up, it’s 76. But it’s misleading because the number of diseases that you’re vaccinating against is closer to 20.”

Mullin then shifted the discussion to broader health concerns.

“OK, well, let’s just use, is it being effective? Because … if we’re looking at 76 percent of the population now has chronic illness, one out of every 10 kids today have autism. What is it? Are we healthier as a nation or are we not?” he asked.

Hunt pressed him on whether raising such questions could risk children dying of preventable diseases like measles.

Mullin rejected the idea that Republicans were “anti-vaccination for measles” and pointed instead to illegal immigration as a source of outbreaks.

“Well, if you want to get into that, we can talk about the openness of the southern border and what caused that,” Mullin said.

“Because you had an inflation [of] over 20 million people that came over illegally underneath the Biden administration that wasn’t vaccinated. We’re not talking about measles outbreaks from kids that were born and raised here inside the United States. We’re talking about ones that were brought over here illegally. And you can make that connection. No one can argue that.”

The exchange followed a heated hearing in which Kennedy criticized the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for what he called “disastrous” and “nonsensical” policies during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kennedy cited the prolonged closure of schools, the shutdown of small businesses, and masking requirements — including for young children — as failures that damaged public trust.

The CDC’s handling of COVID-19 has faced significant criticism, particularly its recommendations for children.

In 2022, the agency submitted a pre-print study to its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) that highlighted supposed risks of COVID-19 to children.

The data was widely criticized as misleading, yet the ACIP ultimately voted to recommend the COVID-19 vaccine for children as young as six months.

Mullin’s exchange with Hunt highlights the continuing debate in Congress and across the country over vaccine schedules, the authority of public health institutions, and the role of federal agencies in guiding medical decisions for children.