How RFK Jr. Is Influencing America's Vaccine Playbook

Since taking the helm of HHS, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has both backed vaccination as a public health tool and taken steps to undermine it. By Cecelia Smith-Schoenwalder Senior Writer April 23, 2026, at 11:51 a.m. ILLUSTRATION BY USN&WR | SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES Since his confirmation to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has toed the line between backing vaccination as a preventive public health tool and making statements or overseeing developments that threaten to undermine that tool. Here's a look at notable vaccine-related moves and remarks made by Kennedy or under his authority since he was sworn in as head of HHS in February of 2025. Jump to a section: Changing Vaccine Policy Replacing the Panel That Recommends Vaccines A Federal Study of the (Debunked) Link Between Vaccines and Autism Re-examining the Childhood Vaccine Schedule Vaccine Official Shakeups Conflicting Comments on the Measles Outbreak Cutting Research and Delaying Studies on Vaccines Plan to Shake Up Vaccine Injury Program Childhood Vaccine Task Force Revival Source