Report: Trump admin trying to rein in RFK Jr.’s unpopular anti-vaccine agenda

The anti-vaccine campaign led by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is reportedly facing constraints as Republican leaders express concern that further criticism of essential vaccines could negatively impact the party in the upcoming midterm elections. A recent report from The Washington Post highlights that a committee of vaccine advisors chosen by Kennedy, who align with his anti-vaccine stance, has suddenly scrapped plans to target mRNA vaccines in an upcoming meeting. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is slated to convene on March 18-19. Although the meeting's agenda has yet to be published, a notice in the Federal Register indicates that topics will include discussions on "COVID-19 vaccine injuries" and may involve a vote to modify the CDC’s vaccine guidelines. Sources familiar with the committee's discussions have revealed that Kennedy’s advisors were exploring strategies to eliminate mRNA COVID-19 vaccines from federal recommendations entirely. Their long-term objective, as outlined in meetings among Kennedy's anti-vaccine supporters, appears to be the eradication of all childhood vaccine recommendations and the removal of these vaccines from the market. Kennedy has long criticized mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, making unfounded claims that they have resulted in child fatalities and labeling them as the "deadliest vaccines ever created." Last May, he took unilateral action to limit the use of COVID-19 vaccines for children and pregnant individuals, a move that contradicts established scientific consensus and was made without consultation with ACIP, which at that time included reputable vaccine experts. In June, Kennedy dismissed all 17 ACIP members and began appointing allies who share his views on vaccines. By August, he also unilaterally cut nearly $500 million in funding for the development of mRNA vaccines that could mitigate future pandemic risks. Subsequently, his newly appointed ACIP replaced the CDC’s general recommendation for COVID-19 vaccines with guidance suggesting that individuals aged 6 to 64 receive vaccinations based on "shared clinical decision-making." One of the new ACIP members, Retsef Levi, who leads a working group on COVID-19 vaccines, has publicly asserted that he believes these vaccines should be removed from the market.