U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., testifies earlier a Senate Finance Committee proceeding connected President Donald Trump's 2026 wellness attraction agenda, connected Capitol Hill successful Washington, D.C., U.S., September 4, 2025.
Jonathan Ernst | Reuters
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. doubled down connected mendacious claims astir vaccines during his Senate grounds connected Wednesday, arsenic senators grilled him connected his sweeping changes to immunization argumentation and national wellness agencies.
Kennedy said helium supports a connection made by a recently appointed subordinate of a cardinal authorities vaccine sheet that mRNA vaccines airs a unsafe hazard to people. Numerous studies person demonstrated that shots utilizing mRNA technology, including Covid vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, are harmless and effective, and superior broadside effects person happened successful highly uncommon cases.
Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., noted that the committee subordinate Dr. Retsef Levi has said that grounds is mounting that mRNA vaccines origin "serious harm, including death, particularly among young people." Kennedy appointed Levi to the Advisory Committee connected Immunization Practices, which advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention connected vaccine recommendations and security coverage.
Kennedy said helium wasn't alert of Levi's comments, but added, "I hold with it."
Kennedy's comments travel aft helium canceled funding for mRNA changeable improvement and made different changes vaccine argumentation that could bounds entree to immunizations, including gutting the CDC vaccine sheet and dropping Covid changeable recommendations for definite groups.
It besides follows a enactment shakeup astatine the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The White House past week fired CDC Director Susan Monarez, and 4 elder bureau officials resigned soon after, with immoderate of them citing the politicization of the bureau and a menace to nationalist health.
Kennedy defended his determination to occurrence each 17 erstwhile members of the CDC vaccine panel, saying helium didn't politicize the committee.
"What we did is we got escaped of the conflicts of interest. ... We depoliticized and enactment large scientists connected it from a precise divers group," the HHS caput said. "They are very, precise pro-vaccine."
But respective of the caller members Kennedy appointed to the panel, including Levi, are wide known vaccine critics.
This communicative is developing. Please cheque backmost for updates.
English (US) ·