RFK Jr. Tells Vaccine-Skeptic Group They Have "A Friend" In The White House — Sparks Criticism From Public-Health Experts

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told attendees at a Children's Health Defense conference in Washington, D.C., that they have "a friend in the White House" in President Donald Trump. Kennedy delivered the keynote address and said the president has directed efforts to expand research, increase transparency and broaden parental choice around childhood vaccines.

What Kennedy Said

Kennedy said he would have pursued broader changes to federal vaccine policy "on day one" but was constrained by legal and procedural limits. "In government, a bunch of things have to happen before something else happens or you get sued," he said, describing the system as "very laborious" with considerable inertia.

"Let me be clear. You have a strong and steadfast friend at the White House," Kennedy told the conference.

Policy Moves And Disputed Claims

Kennedy said Trump asked him to "vigorously investigate the potential contribution of childhood vaccines to the chronic disease epidemic." He repeated a widely circulated claim that vaccine doses per child rose from three when he was young to "94 doses of 18 vaccines" today. Public-health experts have previously told ABC News that, excluding annual flu and COVID-19 shots, children typically receive roughly 30 vaccine doses before age 18, many delivered as combined injections.

Kennedy also has overseen a series of changes at HHS and within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's vaccine advisory structures: he dismissed all 17 members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), appointed a new slate of advisers, and the reconstituted committee voted to narrow or remove several prior recommendations — including the universal hepatitis B–at-birth recommendation and broader recommendations for the combined MMRV vaccine. The committee also voted against recommending flu vaccines that contain the preservative thimerosal.

Public-Health Response

Dr. Fiona Havers, an infectious-disease physician and former senior vaccine expert at the CDC, criticized Kennedy and Children's Health Defense (CHD), saying the group has spread false or misleading information that "has contributed directly to declining vaccination rates across the country." She cited more than 3,000 measles cases this year and four recent measles-related deaths as evidence of growing public-health consequences.

Public-health authorities emphasize that extensive scientific research has found no causal link between the MMR vaccine and chronic diseases. Federal agencies also note that most flu vaccines in use today contain little or no thimerosal and that the FDA and CDC find no evidence low doses of thimerosal cause harm beyond minor injection-site reactions.

Legal Challenges

Earlier this year, Kennedy revised the federal childhood vaccine schedule, reducing the number of recommended shots from 17 to 11. In March, a federal judge in Massachusetts blocked those schedule changes, suspended the appointments of 13 ACIP members, and stayed votes taken by Kennedy-nominated members while litigation proceeds. Kennedy said he would not comment on the judge's ruling because the case remains in active litigation.

Context

Children's Health Defense, co-founded by Kennedy, opposes the recommended childhood vaccine schedule; Kennedy resigned from its board before his confirmation as HHS secretary. Republican Sens. Ron Johnson and Rand Paul and Reps. Paul Gosar and Thomas Massie were also scheduled to appear at the conference.

The Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately respond to requests for comment.