WASHINGTON — Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
once said there are no vaccines that are safe and effective. On Wednesday, he seemed to have changed his tune.
Across two Senate hearings, Kennedy noted that as health secretary, he funded the development of new vaccines, green-lit new shots for patients, asserted flu vaccines are preventive care, and even urged “every child to get the MMR,” a shot he previously suggested wasn’t safe. Last week, he acknowledged the shot could have saved the life of a child who died of measles.
Kennedy’s agenda continues to make waves across American health care, as his department pursues a broad crackdown on alleged fraud and seeks to upend Americans’ relationship with ultra-processed foods , all after major cuts across health agencies and a reworking of vaccine policy. But the about-face expands to a number of core MAHA issues — chemicals in food and the government’s relationship with industry among them.
Kennedy Jr., serving as health secretary, previously stated that no vaccines are safe and effective.
At two recent Senate hearings, he publicly described actions consistent with supporting vaccination: funding development of new vaccines, authorizing new vaccine products, characterizing influenza vaccination as preventive care, and encouraging universal childhood MMR vaccination.
This represents an apparent departure from his earlier public skepticism about that specific vaccine.
The administration also implemented substantial budget reductions across health agencies and reworked vaccine policy; these moves are described as reshaping health-care priorities.
The White House faces the challenge of balancing continued support from MAHA constituents against abandoning MAHA policy priorities perceived as impractical or politically risky.
Specific data, timelines, internal deliberations, and responses from MAHA leaders or other stakeholders are not reported in the provided text.