RFK Jr.: A public-health wrecking ball
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. doubles down on anti-vaccine policies amid a growing measles outbreak

During his confirmation hearings, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. "presented himself as a supporter of vaccines," said Apoorva Mandavilli in The New York Times, but his actions as health secretary tell a starkly different story. He and his agencies have taken "far-reaching, sometimes subtle steps to undermine confidence in vaccine efficacy and safety." Last week, the health secretary announced a "massive" study that he says will determine by September the cause of the "autism epidemic" — led by a top proponent of the repeatedly debunked theory that vaccines cause autism. Under RFK Jr.'s conspiracy-minded, anti-scientific leadership, health agencies have halted research into vaccine hesitancy, cut billions in state funding for childhood immunization, and terminated an ad campaign promoting flu shots. Top FDA vaccine regulator Peter Marks quit last month under pressure, saying it was clear Kennedy was not after truth but "subservient confirmation of his misinformation and lies."
Even amid a Texas measles outbreak that has sickened more than 500 people and killed two children, Kennedy has failed to offer "a firm, unambiguous endorsement of vaccination," said Jonathan Cohn in The Bulwark. He "begrudgingly" told an interviewer last week that "the federal government's position" is that "people should get the measles vaccine." But he quickly undercut his tepid endorsement by falsely saying that vaccines aren't safety-tested. Last week, Kennedy had the astounding "chutzpah" to attend the funeral of an unvaccinated 8-year-old Texas girl who died of measles, said Robin Abcarian in the Los Angeles Times. Her death is the "direct result of years of vaccine skepticism and hostility" sown by Kennedy and his anti-science allies.
The erosion of trust in vaccines just scratches the surface of the damage Kennedy is doing, said Adam Cancryn in Politico. In two months, he has "dramatically reshaped the U.S. health apparatus," firing 10,000 government health officials and scientists, erasing a vast trove of "collective expertise and institutional knowledge," and leaving his department in "an unprecedented state of upheaval." The public health infrastructure he's dismantling "is the greatest invention of the Industrial Age," said Troy Farah in Salon. We now take for granted its success in reducing childhood mortality, eradicating horrific diseases like smallpox and polio, and giving us longer, healthier lives. If we let Kennedy's "reckless stupidity" reverse a century of progress, the impact will be felt for generations.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Are free votes the best way to change British society?
Today's Big Question On 'conscience issues' like abortion and assisted dying, MPs are being left to make the most consequential social decisions without guidance
-
Rabies: is it a danger in the UK?
The Explainer The death of a British woman after a dog bite abroad has sparked widespread concern. What do we all need to know?
-
Quiz of The Week: 14 – 20 June
Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
-
Travel ban: It's back and it's bigger
Feature Trump revives a controversial travel ban, targeting mostly poor, nonwhite countries
-
Discrimination: Expanding the definition
Feature The Supreme Court ruled in favor of a straight woman who sued her gay boss for discrimination
-
Qatar's power play
Feature The tiny Arab nation is buying friends and influence in Washington. What does it want?
-
Ábrego García: Why the White House blinked
Feature Kilmar Ábrego García returns to the U.S. after being illegally deported, but his legal fight is far from over
-
Musk climbs down after messy MAGA breakup
Feature The Tesla CEO apologized after facing backlash for a series of social media posts criticizing Donald Trump
-
Wall Street has coined a new term for Trump's tariff threats
Feature TACO stands for 'Trump Always Chickens Out'
-
'Among scientists, interest and investment in mitochondria have risen'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Democrats: Solving the 'man problem'
Feature Democrats are spending millions to win back young men