Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told a House Appropriations Committee hearing on Wednesday that Americans should not be taking his medical advice.
Kennedy, who was being grilled by lawmakers about his stance on vaccines, was asked if he would vaccinate his own children today against diseases such as measles, chickenpox and polio.
“My opinions about vaccines are irrelevant,” Kennedy said. “I don’t think people should be taking advice, medical advice from me. I don’t want to give advice.”
Why It Matters
Kennedy has denied being anti-vaccine but his public commentary on vaccines over the years has been highly critical. He previously led Children’s Health Defense, a group known for questioning vaccine safety.
His leadership of HHS, which oversees vaccine policy, has alarmed some public health officials and lawmakers.
What To Know
During Wednesday morning’s hearing Kennedy told lawmakers he “probably” would vaccinate his children against measles.
When pushed by Representative Mark Pocan, a Democrat, on whether he would vaccinate against polio or chickenpox, the head of the U.S. health department declined to answer.
He said he didn’t want to seem like he was being “evasive” in his response.
“I think what we’re gonna try to do is to lay out the pros and cons, the risk and benefits, accurately as we understand them with reputable studies,” Kennedy added.
Kennedy said he’s directed Jay Bhattacharya, director of the National Institutes of Health, to help inform Americans on their health decisions.
Matthew Woodruff, an immunologist and assistant professor at Emory University, told Newsweek that Kennedy’s lack of more strongly endorsing factual, scientific data is “disingenuous” and puts scientific officials along with Americans at risk.
“To be frank, I think it’s the waffling and the the unwillingness to put himself out there as an expert and rely on the folks around him feels like it’s a way to avoid accountability.”
In previous media appearances, Kennedy has claimed that “none of the 72 vaccines [given to children] has ever been tested in a safety study pre-licensing,” a statement that contradicts scientific consensus. He has also promoted the discredited theory that vaccines cause autism.
In a Fox News op-ed in March, Kennedy encouraged parents to speak with doctors about the MMR vaccine amid a measles outbreak in Texas, writing that vaccines “contribute to community immunity.”
“Under my leadership, HHS is and will always be committed to radical transparency,” he wrote.
But Kennedy’s further reluctance on Wednesday to be more outspoken about vaccinating against measles, chickenpox and polio is indicative of a bigger trend of anti-science that could have long-term ramifications far beyond Kennedy’s tenure at HHS, Woodruff warns.
What People Are Saying
Woodruff told Newsweek on Wednesday, regarding Kennedy’s evasive answers around vaccines, “Certainly with any vaccine, there are side effects. We are intentionally stimulating somebody’s immune system to react against something foreign. That’s how a vaccine works, right? And so it’s always careful. It’s always important that we really carefully evaluate how effective the vaccine is versus the potential side effects that that the vaccine can induce. When you start to waffle on the benefits and the success rates of these vaccines, you do run the risk of pockets of folks that want to find reasons to believe that these vaccines are not safe and effective. I think you provide an opportunity for those folks to say, ‘Well, the secretary of health and human services is telling me that he’s not sure if he would vaccinate his kids, so why should I?’”
Representative Rosa DeLauro, a Democrat from Connecticut, said at during today’s hearing, “I’m worried about a future public health crisis that emerges. All while you peddle unfounded and dangerous vaccine skepticism, spread lies and misinformation about people living with autism.”
What’s Next
Kennedy continues to face scrutiny as Congress weighs President Donald Trump‘s budget, which proposes cuts to federal health research. Lawmakers are expected to call him back for further testimony to address concerns over the administration’s vaccine policy and proposed restructuring of health agencies.
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