RFK Jr. shuts down mRNA vaccine funding at agency

The decision canceled or modified 22 projects, primarily for work on vaccines and therapeutics for respiratory viruses

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
This will deliver a 'crippling blow' to America's 'capacity to develop vaccines during the next pandemic'
(Image credit: Tom Williams / CQ-Roll Call Inc. via Getty Images)

What happened

Heath Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Tuesday he had ordered a "coordinated wind-down" of mRNA vaccine development programs at the government's biodefense agency. The decision canceled or modified 22 projects worth nearly $500 million, primarily for work on vaccines and therapeutics for respiratory viruses including influenza, H5N1 bird flu and Covid-19, according to the Health and Human Services Department.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.