Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s anti-science agenda has been “a wrecking ball” for U.S. public health that endangers American lives, according to a new review of his first year in federal office.
Public health policy decisions, firings, funding cuts and misinformation under Kennedy’s tenure as secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services have endangered the nation, according to the report from Protect Our Care, which labeled him “public health enemy No. 1.”
“In one year, RFK Jr. has made America sicker,” Brad Woodhouse, executive director of Protect Our Care, said during a Feb. 10 news conference with members of Congress and health leaders. “He’s undermined public trust…he’s wreaked havoc on our nation’s public health system.”
One of the key areas where Kennedy has eroded confidence is vaccinations. Despite pledging not to dismantle U.S. vaccine policy during his 2025 Senate confirmation hearings, Kennedy has repeatedly taken action against the life-saving public heath tool, the report notes. Even before slashing the federal childhood immunization schedule by a third last month, Kennedy gutted a science-based advisory committee, halted vaccine research, rehashed discredited theories on autism and undermined guidance on COVID-19 and hepatitis B vaccines.
In the meantime, vaccination rates have fallen for U.S. kindergarteners, vaccine exemptions have reached a record high and the nation has experienced two large-scale measles outbreaks — including an ongoing one in South Carolina that has infected about 920 people, the overwhelming majority of whom were unvaccinated.
A Feb. 6 KFF poll found that public confidence in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has fallen under the Trump administration, with only 47% of Americans trusting the agency for reliable information on vaccines, plummeting from 85% in 2020.
Kennedy’s attacks on vaccines — which have raised alarm among public health officials and created confusion for parents — have been carried out in tandem with actions against HHS, which Kennedy has left in a “state of chaos,” the report said.
Dangerous gaps have emerged within HHS in the wake of program cuts and seesaw firings and rehirings. For example, a host of public surveillance databases were no being longer updated at CDC, numerous leadership positions were left vacant at the National Institutes of Health and key expertise was lost at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the report noted.
Public confidence in federal health leadership overall has also declined under Kennedy’s tenure, national polls show. More than half of Americans disapproved of Kennedy’s leadership as of September, the worst showing among President Trump’s top appointees, a survey from YouGov found.
“Mr. Kennedy’s tenure can best be described as chaotic,” APHA CEO Georges Benjamin, MD, said during the news conference. “Broken promises, administrative incompetence, professional neglect — this puts the public’s health at extraordinary risk. People are sicker and are dying sooner because of his policies.”
APHA, the American Academy of Pediatrics and partners have asked the courts to overturn the Trump administration’s revisions to the federal immunization schedule, citing the lack of scientific evidence. A hearing on the preliminary injunction request is scheduled for Feb. 13.
Photo caption: Public trust in vaccine advice from CDC has fallen under RFK Jr.’s tenure at HHS, a recent poll finds. Photo by Michele Late
