Kennedy’s HHS: A Year of Broken Promises on Vaccines and Public Health Funding
Meta Description: One year into his tenure, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faces scrutiny for failing to uphold commitments made during his confirmation regarding vaccine policy and funding.
One year after assuming leadership of the nation’s health department, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has demonstrably deviated from numerous assurances given to U.S. senators during his confirmation process. Concerns centered on the longtime anti-vaccine activist’s plans for the nation’s care, prompting a series of public and private guarantees regarding vaccine funding and recommendations. This article examines those promises and the extent to which they have been kept.
The Childhood Vaccine Schedule: A Shift in Recommendations
During two hearings in January 2025, Kennedy repeatedly stated his support for childhood vaccines, emphasizing that all his children were vaccinated. Senator Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., sharply questioned Kennedy about his past earnings from lawsuits against vaccine manufacturers, accusing him of potentially profiting from policies that would ease future litigation. “Kennedy can kill off access to vaccines and make millions of dollars while he does it,” Warren stated during the Senate Finance Committee hearing. “Kids might die, but Robert Kennedy can keep cashing in.”
Kennedy responded directly, stating, “Senator, I support vaccines. I support the childhood schedule. I will do that.” Days later, Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, a Republican and chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, announced that Kennedy had pledged to maintain existing vaccine recommendations upon confirmation.
However, months after his confirmation, Kennedy dismissed all incumbent members of the vaccine advisory panel, known as the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), and appointed new members, many of whom share his skepticism towards certain vaccines. This led to a significant alteration in the panel’s recommendations.
Last month, the CDC removed its universal recommendations for children to receive seven immunizations – those protecting against respiratory syncytial virus, meningococcal disease, flu, COVID-19, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and rotavirus. This decision followed a White House memorandum directing the CDC to reduce the schedule. These vaccines, researchers estimate, have collectively prevented thousands of deaths and millions of illnesses, and are now recommended by the CDC only for children at high risk of serious illness or after consultation between doctors and parents.
Responding to inquiries about Kennedy’s actions, an HHS spokesperson stated the secretary “continues to follow through on his commitments” to Cassidy, noting that HHS had accepted the chairman’s recommendations for key agency roles, retained specific language on the CDC website, and adopted ACIP recommendations. “Secretary Kennedy talks to the chairman at a regular clip,” the spokesperson added. Both Cassidy and his office have declined to comment on whether Kennedy has broken the commitments made during his confirmation.
Vaccine Funding Cuts and Research Cancellations
Weeks after taking office, the CDC rescinded $11 billion in COVID-era grants that local health departments were utilizing for vaccination programs and other initiatives. This occurred after Kennedy pledged during his confirmation hearings not to undermine vaccine funding. When directly asked by Cassidy, “Do you commit that you will not work to impound, divert, or otherwise reduce any funding appropriated by Congress for the purpose of vaccination programs?” Kennedy replied, “Yes.” A federal judge subsequently ordered HHS to distribute the funds.
Furthermore, the National Institutes of Health, a component of HHS, terminated dozens of research grants supporting studies on vaccine hesitancy last year. In August, Kennedy ordered the cancellation of $500 million worth of mRNA vaccine research.
Revisiting the Autism Debate
During his confirmation process, Cassidy secured a guarantee from Kennedy that the CDC’s website would not remove statements clarifying that vaccines do not cause autism. Technically, Kennedy upheld this promise; the website still maintains that vaccines do not cause autism.
However, late last year, new statements appeared on the same webpage, baselessly questioning vaccine safety. The page now reads, “The claim ‘vaccines do not cause autism’ is not an evidence-based claim because studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism.” The webpage also falsely asserts that the public has largely ignored studies suggesting a link between vaccines and autism. Decades of scientific research have consistently demonstrated no connection between vaccines and autism.
A now-retracted and fraudulent 1998 study initially linked the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine to autism, leading to a decline in U.S. vaccination rates before its discrediting a decade later.
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