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 expressed categorical skepticism about vaccine safety and efficacy.
During two Senate hearings, he described a more favorable stance: funding vaccine development, approving new vaccines, characterizing influenza vaccination as preventive care, and urging universal MMR vaccination for children.
Last week he acknowledged that the MMR vaccine might have prevented a child’s death from measles.
Concurrent actions included substantial budget reductions across health agencies and revisions to vaccine policy.
The change has been described as broadening across several core issues associated with the movement.
The article indicates the current executive must balance retaining support from that base while deprioritizing certain MAHA-aligned policies judged impractical or politically problematic.