RFK Jr.’s made promises about vaccines. Here’s what he’s done as health secretary

By The Associated Press During his Senate confirmation hearings Strength Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr suggested he wouldn t undermine vaccines I am not going to go into HHS and impose my preordained opinions on anybody at HHS he commented I m going to empower the scientists at HHS to do their job and make sure that we have good science that is evidence based He also announced he wouldn t halt congressionally mandated funding for vaccination programs nor impose conditions that would force local state or global entities to limit access to vaccines or vaccine promotion I m not going to substitute my judgment for science he explained Yet the Department of Wellness and Human Services under Kennedy has taken unprecedented actions to change how vaccines are evaluated approved and recommended sometimes in techniques that run counter to established scientific consensus Here s a look at what Kennedy has announced and done since becoming the nation s top soundness official on Feb Kennedy and the childhood vaccine schedule Sen Bill Cassidy a physician who was unsettled about Kennedy s antivaccine work explained Kennedy pledged to him that he wouldn t change existing vaccine recommendations I recommend that children follow the CDC schedule And I will promotion the CDC schedule when I get in there Kennedy disclosed at his Senate confirmation hearing Kennedy also revealed he thought the polio vaccine was safe and effective and that he wouldn t seek to reduce its availability Feb Kennedy vows to investigate the childhood vaccine schedule that prevents measles polio and other dangerous diseases Early March The National Institutes of Fitness cancels studies about strategies to improve vaccine trust and access April Kennedy tells CBS News that people should get the measles vaccine but the cabinet should not be mandating those before then continuing to raise safety concerns about vaccines May Kennedy issues a review that among other things questioned the necessity of mandates that require children to get vaccinated for school admission and suggested that vaccines should undergo more clinical trials including with placebos The summary has to be reissued later because the initial version cited studies that don t exist May The Centers for Syndrome Control and Prevention removes COVID- vaccination guidance for pregnant women and says healthy children may get the shots June A group of vaccine advisers picked by Kennedy announce they are establishing a work group to evaluate the cumulative effect of the children s vaccine schedule June Kennedy announces the U S will stop supporting the vaccines alliance Gavi He accuses the group along with the World Fitness Organization of silencing dissenting views and legitimate questions about vaccine safety Kennedy on revising CDC vaccine recommendations At the confirmation hearing Cassidy questioned Kennedy Do you commit that you will revise any CDC recommendations only based on peer review consensus based widely accepted science Kennedy replied Absolutely adding he would rely on evidence-based science Feb HHS postpones a meeting of outside vaccine advisers April The CDC s vaccine advisory panel meets and recommends that people to with certain danger factors should be able to get vaccinated against respiratory syncytial virus and endorses a new shot that protects against meningococcal bacteria As of late June the CDC and HHS haven t acted on the recommendations Related Articles Supreme Court says Maryland parents can pull their kids from community school lessons using LGBTQ books Supreme Court preserves key part of Obamacare coverage requirements Supreme Court OKs fee that subsidizes phone internet services in schools libraries and rural areas Supreme Court limits nationwide injunctions but fate of Trump birthright citizenship order unclear Trump says US has signed a deal with China on deal without giving details May Kennedy announces that COVID- vaccines are no longer recommended for healthy children and pregnant women a move forthwith questioned by several constituents soundness experts No one from the CDC the agency that makes such recommendations is present in the video announcing the changes June Kennedy ousts all members of the science panel that advises the CDC on how vaccines should be used June Kennedy names new vaccine plan advisers to replace the panel that he dismissed They include a scientist who rose to prominence by relaying conspiracy theories around the COVID- pandemic and the vaccines that followed a leading critic of pandemic-era lockdowns a business school professor and a nurse affiliated with a group that is widely considered to be a leading source of vaccine misinformation June Kennedy s vaccine advisers recommend that people receive flu shots free of an ingredient that antivaccine groups have falsely tied to autism The vote comes after a presentation from an antivaccine group s former leader A CDC staff analysis of past research on the topic is removed from the agency s website because according to a committee member the statement hadn t been authorized by Kennedy s office Kennedy on vaccine approvals and review standards At the Senate hearing Cassidy urged Kennedy if he would keep FDA s historically rigorous vaccine review standards Yes Kennedy replied March Kennedy forces the FDA s top vaccine official to resign The official Peter Marks says he feared Kennedy s organization might manipulate or delete material from a vaccine safety database May Kennedy names Dr Vinay Prasad an outspoken critic of the FDA s handling of COVID- boosters as the FDA s vaccine chief May After a delay the FDA grants Novavax full approval for its COVID- vaccine but with extraordinary restrictions The agency says it s for use only in adults and older or those to who have at least one wellbeing complication that puts them at increased threat from COVID- May Top bureaucrats limit the approval for seasonal COVID- shots to seniors and others at high menace pending more input on everyone else The FDA urges companies to conduct large lengthy studies before tweaked vaccines can be approved for healthier people a stark break from the previous federal approach recommending an annual COVID- shot for all Americans six months and older May FDA approves a new COVID- vaccine made by Moderna but with the same limits on who can get it as Novavax s shot Kennedy on bird flu vaccine At his confirmation hearing Kennedy disclosed he would encouragement the improvement of a vaccine for H N bird flu I m going to continue research on every kind of vaccine he reported May The Biomedical Advanced Research and Maturation Authority an HHS agency cancels million in awards to Moderna to develop a vaccine against foreseen pandemic influenza viruses including the H N bird flu The Associated Press Wellbeing and Science Department receives endorsement from the Howard Hughes Curative Institute s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation The AP is solely responsible for all content