A year of RFK jr has changed American science
8 days ago
- #Public Health
- #Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
- #Vaccine Policy
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was confirmed as head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) a year ago, with a 52-48 Senate vote.
- Kennedy pledged transparency and support for vaccines during his confirmation but has since reversed many positions, reducing childhood vaccine recommendations from 17 to 11 diseases.
- Thousands of public servants, including scientists, have been fired under Kennedy's tenure, and scientific standards at agencies like the CDC and FDA have been replaced with controversial 'gold-standard' dictates.
- Kennedy's 'Make America Healthy Again' (MAHA) agenda aligns with Trump's MAGA movement, uniting distrust of science with skepticism of medicine and the food industry.
- Kennedy has a history of vaccine opposition, including leading lawsuits against vaccine makers and promoting debunked links between vaccines and autism.
- Under Kennedy, HHS removed COVID vaccines from recommended lists for pregnant adults and children, fired CDC safety experts, and cut funding for mRNA vaccine research.
- Kennedy's policies have led to resignations of top health officials, including FDA vaccine chief Peter Marks, who criticized Kennedy's lack of transparency.
- Kennedy promotes wellness industry ideas, including concerns over mitochondrial health and opposition to conventional medicine, despite lack of scientific evidence.
- Kennedy's MAHA report mixes legitimate health concerns with controversial claims, such as linking Tylenol to autism and promoting unproven wellness remedies.
- Kennedy's tenure has politicized HHS, with actions like restricting gender-affirming care for minors and cutting research grants, aligning with Trump's political agenda.