RFK Jr. 's Health Moves: What's Really Going On?

RFK Jr. has been making waves in public health, and not in a good way. Since February, his actions at the Health and Human Services (HHS) have raised significant concerns.

Controversial Moves at the ACIP

• Fired all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and replaced them with individuals known for being anti-vaccine or profiting from suing vaccine makers.
• The new ACIP has been pushing to remove or weaken vaccine recommendations.
• Voted to stop recommending the hepatitis B vaccine for newborns, a major step backward given its decades-long track record of safety.

Impact on the CDC

• Fired CDC director Susan Monarez just a month into her job for not blindly approving ACIP recommendations.
• Several top CDC officials quit in protest, leaving the agency understaffed and underfunded.
• The CDC now appears to be doing what RFK Jr. wants, rather than acting in the public's best interest.

Cuts to Government Science Agencies

• RFK Jr. and the Trump administration have been cutting jobs and funding across government science agencies, particularly the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
• Cut funding for mRNA vaccine research, despite RFK Jr.'s attacks on older vaccines.
• Hundreds of clinical trials involving 74,000 patients have been impacted.
• Young scientists are losing the resources they need.

Rising Health Concerns

• Measles cases are surging, with nearly 2,000 reported this year and three deaths.
• RFK Jr.'s policies and rhetoric are making it harder for people to get vaccinated.
• The CDC's understaffing and underfunding are exacerbating these issues.

Unfounded Claims and Misguided Studies

• Blaming Tylenol for autism despite weak evidence; medical experts worldwide still endorse it as safe.
• Wasting time and money on studies like the link between mass shootings and antidepressants, with little evidence to support the claim.
• Celebrating hollow victories, such as pushing Coca-Cola to sell more of its cane sugar version without replacing the original, potentially encouraging more soda consumption.

Conclusion

There are real and complex public health problems facing the country today. However, RFK Jr.'s track record suggests he will not meaningfully confront these issues. We will all be worse off for it.