Republicans are reportedly pressuring Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to curb his anti-vaccine agenda, fearing political repercussions in the midterm elections. His hand-picked vaccine advisors have consequently abandoned immediate plans to attack mRNA vaccines at an upcoming CDC committee meeting.
The long-term goal of Kennedy's allies, however, remains to eliminate mRNA COVID-19 vaccines from federal recommendations and ultimately remove all childhood vaccine recommendations from the market. Kennedy has a record of unilateral anti-vaccine actions, including firing previous scientific advisors, restricting vaccine use, and cutting funding for mRNA research.
The main topics covered are political pressure on Kennedy's vaccine policies, the specific agenda of his advisors regarding mRNA and childhood vaccines, and a summary of Kennedy's past anti-vaccine actions.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s relentless anti-vaccine agenda is getting reined in as Republicans warn that further attacks on lifesaving vaccines could harm the party during the midterms, according to a report by The Washington Post.
The Post reported Wednesday that Kennedy’s hand-selected committee of vaccine advisors—who share his anti-vaccine views—have abruptly abandoned plans to attack mRNA vaccines in an upcoming meeting.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is scheduled to meet March 18–19. While no agenda has been published for the meeting, a Federal Register notice stated that the meeting would include discussion of “COVID-19 vaccine injuries,” and may include a vote to change the CDC’s vaccine recommendations. Sources close to the committee told the Post that Kennedy’s advisors have been looking for ways to remove mRNA COVID-19 vaccines entirely from federal recommendations. And according to clearly stated goals in a meeting of Kennedy’s anti-vaccine allies earlier this week, the long-term goal is to eliminate all childhood vaccine recommendations and remove the shots from the market.
Kennedy’s anti-vaccine record
Kennedy has long railed against mRNA COVID-19 vaccines and mRNA vaccine technology in general. He has falsely claimed that COVID-19 vaccines have killed children and that the vaccines are the “deadliest vaccine[s] ever made.” In May of last year, Kennedy unilaterally restricted the use of COVID-19 vaccines in children and during pregnancy. The decision conflicts with scientific evidence and was made without consulting ACIP, which at the time was populated by esteemed vaccine experts.
In June, Kennedy fired all 17 ACIP members and began installing anti-vaccine allies. In August, he unilaterally terminated nearly $500 million in funding for the development of mRNA vaccines that could thwart future pandemic threats. And in September, Kennedy’s new ACIP nixed the CDC’s general recommendation for COVID-19 vaccines and replaced it with guidance that people aged 6–64 get vaccinated based on “shared clinical decision-making.” One of the new ACIP members who heads a working group on COVID-19 vaccines, Retsef Levi—whose expertise is operations management—has publicly stated that he believes COVID-19 vaccines should be taken off the market.
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