Sep 25, 2026
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. disclosed to Senator Elizabeth Warren and other lawmakers that he deviated from his ethics agreement, prompting concerns about non-disclosure to Congress and failure to report changes to agency ethics officials. The revelation comes amid scrutiny of Kennedy's financial disclosures, which revealed book deals worth millions of dollars.
The Senate Finance Committee approved Chris Klomp's nomination to be deputy secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services in a 15-12 vote on Thursday, advancing him to a full Senate vote. Klomp would serve as second-in-command to Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
President Trump announced he will demand pharmaceutical companies separate combined vaccines into individual doses, one day after Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told an anti-vaccine conference that vaccine skeptics have a 'friend at the White House.'
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. delivered a keynote address at a conference hosted by the anti-vaccine organization he founded, telling attendees they have "a friend at the White House" and renewing attacks on vaccine safety.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a new federal initiative to improve autism diagnoses using AI and other technology to map how the condition develops and enable earlier intervention, arguing the current diagnostic model is outdated and too time-intensive.
Chris Klomp, nominated as deputy health secretary under Robert F. Kennedy Jr., confronts Senate scrutiny as Democrats challenge his role. The hearings coincide with a Senate subcommittee investigation alleging Biden administration officials ignored early COVID-19 vaccine safety warnings.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. used military jets, including a $9,000-an-hour aircraft, to travel to campaign events supporting Republican candidates ahead of the midterm elections, with White House and HHS lawyers approving the arrangement. The campaigning by Cabinet officials has raised questions about Hatch Act compliance, echoing violations from the 2020 Republican National Convention.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has hired an Army doctor who opposed Covid vaccines to investigate whether the shots caused the deaths of approximately 2,500 military service members. The investigation comes as Covid vaccine uptake rates among adults have continued to decline during the Trump presidency.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. repeatedly told senators his 2019 Samoa visit had 'nothing to do with vaccines,' but newly released documents reveal he met with anti-vaccine activists before a deadly measles outbreak that killed 83 people, mostly children.
Almost 200 supporters of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Make America Healthy Again movement have sent a letter criticizing President Donald Trump's push to use coal energy to power artificial intelligence data centers, marking a rare public split between the MAHA movement and Trump's energy priorities.
On August 10, 2026, President Trump signed an executive order establishing "Gold Standard Childhood Vaccine Recommendations," reducing the number of vaccines universally recommended for all children from 17-18 diseases to 11 and directing that shots such as hepatitis A, hepatitis B and RSV be recommended only for high-risk children or via shared clinical decision-making. The order calls for the combined MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine to be split into three individual shots given at separate doctor visits, and directs the Department of Justice to investigate and challenge state laws restricting religious or medical exemptions to school vaccine mandates. Trump repeated claims, unsupported by scientific evidence, linking childhood vaccines to autism. The American Academy of Pediatrics and American Medical Association strongly criticized the order as not science-based, warning it could cause confusion and lower immunization rates at a time when U.S. measles cases are at a 35-year high. The order also revived vaccine policy as a contested issue ahead of the November 2026 midterm elections.
On August 10, 2026, President Trump signed an executive order establishing "Gold Standard Childhood Vaccine Recommendations," reducing the number of vaccines universally recommended for all children from 17-18 diseases to 11 and directing that shots such as hepatitis A, hepatitis B and RSV be recommended only for high-risk children or via shared clinical decision-making. The order calls for the combined MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine to be split into three individual shots given at separate doctor visits, and directs the Department of Justice to investigate and challenge state laws restricting religious or medical exemptions to school vaccine mandates. Trump repeated claims, unsupported by scientific evidence, linking childhood vaccines to autism. The American Academy of Pediatrics and American Medical Association strongly criticized the order as not science-based, warning it could cause confusion and lower immunization rates at a time when U.S. measles cases are at a 35-year high. The order also revived vaccine policy as a contested issue ahead of the November 2026 midterm elections.
On August 10, 2026, President Trump signed an executive order establishing "Gold Standard Childhood Vaccine Recommendations," reducing the number of vaccines universally recommended for all children from 17-18 diseases to 11 and directing that shots such as hepatitis A, hepatitis B and RSV be recommended only for high-risk children or via shared clinical decision-making. The order calls for the combined MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine to be split into three individual shots given at separate doctor visits, and directs the Department of Justice to investigate and challenge state laws restricting religious or medical exemptions to school vaccine mandates. Trump repeated claims, unsupported by scientific evidence, linking childhood vaccines to autism. The American Academy of Pediatrics and American Medical Association strongly criticized the order as not science-based, warning it could cause confusion and lower immunization rates at a time when U.S. measles cases are at a 35-year high. The order also revived vaccine policy as a contested issue ahead of the November 2026 midterm elections.
On August 10, 2026, President Trump signed an executive order establishing "Gold Standard Childhood Vaccine Recommendations," reducing the number of vaccines universally recommended for all children from 17-18 diseases to 11 and directing that shots such as hepatitis A, hepatitis B and RSV be recommended only for high-risk children or via shared clinical decision-making. The order calls for the combined MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine to be split into three individual shots given at separate doctor visits, and directs the Department of Justice to investigate and challenge state laws restricting religious or medical exemptions to school vaccine mandates. Trump repeated claims, unsupported by scientific evidence, linking childhood vaccines to autism. The American Academy of Pediatrics and American Medical Association strongly criticized the order as not science-based, warning it could cause confusion and lower immunization rates at a time when U.S. measles cases are at a 35-year high. The order also revived vaccine policy as a contested issue ahead of the November 2026 midterm elections.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told CDC staff that the U.S. would have done better in the Covid outbreak by listening to alternative voices, speaking at a memorial for last year's shooting at the agency.
The Trump administration announced it will immediately release $600 million in congressionally appropriated funds for Gavi, the global vaccine alliance serving the world's poorest countries. The funds had been withheld due to unsubstantiated safety concerns raised by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Outside advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration narrowly voted to recommend broader access to several unapproved peptides popular in wellness circles, backing a push by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. despite objections from FDA career scientists about limited safety data and potential conflicts of interest among panelists.
The Trump administration has paused over $1 billion in federal Medicaid payments to California and Minnesota, with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. citing suspected fraud and noncompliance. The states must provide documentation to receive the withheld funds.
Trump administration's CDC director nominee Erica Schwartz drew frustrated reactions from senators during her July 15 confirmation hearing when she pledged to 'never betray the science' while simultaneously backing Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s actions, raising concerns about her willingness to protect the agency from political meddling.
The FDA and HHS are implementing sweeping reforms to speed up early-stage drug research in the United States, addressing concerns that pharmaceutical companies have increasingly moved clinical trials to countries like China and Australia. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the changes aimed at bringing investment back to the U.S.
The Trump administration plans to reclassify top NIH positions under Schedule F, making federal workers easier to fire and more politicized. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is spearheading the move.
Senator Bill Cassidy, Republican chair of the Senate health committee, blamed the Trump administration's vaccine-skeptical policies for recent measles deaths in Pennsylvania during a confirmation hearing for surgeon general nominee Dr. Nicole Saphier. Cassidy pressed Saphier to state that vaccines do not cause autism and to distance herself from HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s anti-vaccine positions, which she declined to fully do.
Health officials under Robert F. Kennedy Jr. explored banning certain SSRI antidepressants as part of plans to reduce their use in the United States, sparking significant debate over medication safety and federal regulatory authority.
The Department of Health and Human Services has filed an appeal against a court ruling that halted many of RFK Jr.'s vaccine policy changes, marking the latest development in the lawsuit filed by the American Association of Pediatrics.
The federal autism committee met for the first time since HHS Secretary Kennedy fired most scientific experts and replaced them with activists and advocates, focusing on 'profound autism.'
Health Secretary RFK Jr. declared a public health emergency for Hawaii in response to severe weather events, providing federal healthcare providers and suppliers greater flexibility to meet emergency needs of Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries in the affected areas.
The CDC delayed publishing a study scheduled for March 19 that found Covid vaccines reduced urgent care and emergency visits by 50 percent and hospitalizations by 55 percent among healthy adults in 2025-2026. Acting CDC Director Jay Bhattacharya halted the report over methodological concerns despite it passing the agency's scientific review process and using the same observational methods the CDC has long employed for respiratory virus vaccines. The delay occurs under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who formerly chaired anti-vaccine group Children's Health Defense, called Covid shots the deadliest vaccine ever made, and directed the CDC to drop vaccine recommendations for children and healthy pregnant women. Public confidence has eroded, with only 41 percent of Americans believing Covid vaccine benefits outweigh risks according to a September 2025 YouGov survey.
The Environmental Protection Agency has designated microplastics as a potential drinking water contaminant requiring study, marking a significant regulatory step seen as appealing to the MAHA movement's focus on environmental health concerns.