A document the Department of Health and Human Services distributed to members of Congress to justify recent changes to COVID-19 vaccine recommendations misrepresented scientific research to make unfounded claims about vaccine safety for pregnant people and children.
Stories by Kate Yandell
HHS Misleads on mRNA Vaccine Safety After Pulling Moderna Funding
RFK Jr. Denies Cuts to Scientific Research While Slashing Staff, Funding
Under the Trump administration, the Department of Health and Human Services has canceled or frozen billions of dollars in scientific research grants and attempted to cull around 20,000 agency employees, including some scientists. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., however, has misleadingly claimed that there have been no cuts to “life-saving” research or “working scientists.”
Q&A on Trump’s Prescription Drug Pricing Executive Order
HHS Advances Kennedy’s Old ‘Placebo’ Vaccine Safety Claims
Trump’s 100th Day Spin
RFK Jr. Misleads on Autism Prevalence, Causes
Hits and Misses in RFK Jr.’s Comments on Food Dyes
In recent weeks, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said that “very, very strong studies” link food dyes to cancer and ADHD. Experts are concerned about the impacts of unhealthy diets and obesity in the U.S., but some say Kennedy overstates the role of food dyes in chronic disease.
RFK Jr.’s Faulty Advice On Bird Flu
In recent news appearances, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has suggested allowing bird flu to spread in poultry flocks unchecked. Scientists say that’s risky because it gives the virus more opportunities to replicate, increasing the chance it could change to spread easily among humans.