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.
publicly modified prior statements about vaccines during two Senate hearings, asserting that in his role he funded development of new vaccines, authorized new vaccine use, described influenza immunization as preventive care, and encouraged universal childhood MMR vaccination—positions that contrast with earlier statements in which he had questioned vaccine safety.
The shift was described as extending beyond vaccines to other priorities associated with the MAHA movement, including concerns about food chemicals and government–industry relationships.
These actions are presented as ongoing while the administration balances competing political considerations.
Some MAHA leaders reportedly express skepticism toward the administration they previously supported, creating pressure on Trump administration officials to reconcile outreach to that constituency with decisions to abandon certain MAHA priorities deemed impractical or politically risky.