RFK 'willing to be wrong' on vaccines, but a probe is coming

In his first speech since being appointed Health and Human Services Secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr pledged to investigate the potential causes of chronic diseases in the US – including vaccines – implying that decades of rigorous research into their safety will have to be revisited.

Kennedy told HHS staff that he is determined to investigate the role childhood vaccines may play alongside other "taboo" or "insufficiently scrutinised" topics like prescribing of SSRI antidepressants and other psychiatric drugs, saying "nothing is going to be off limits," according to an ABC News report.

Under questioning from lawmakers at two confirmation hearings in the build-up to his appointment, Kennedy played down his well-publicised questioning of the safety of childhood vaccines – including debunked claims that they can cause autism.

He insisted that he supported the measles and polio vaccines and would "do nothing as HHS Secretary that makes it difficult or discourages people from taking those vaccines." But he stopped short of disavowing his vaccine scepticism – saying he would make a judgment only after seeing the data – and then dismissed evidence provided at the hearing by a Republican senator.

In his speech, he called for HHS staffers to be "open-minded" in their views and said he would subject his list of potential chronic disease culprits – which out vaccines at the top but also included processed foods, electromagnetic radiation, microplastics, and agrochemicals like herbicides and pesticides – to "the scrutiny of unbiased science."

"I'm going to keep asking questions but hold my preconceived answers lightly," he promised. "I'm willing to be wrong."

The list ties in with an executive order issued by President Trump last week to create a commission to investigate "threats" to children's health, including "potential over-utilisation of medication."

Senior staffers resign

As Kennedy gave his first address to the HHS, senior figures at the agencies the department oversees were handing in their resignation, including the head of the food division at the FDA, Jim Jones, who said that sweeping and "indiscriminate" staffing cuts will compromise its ability to protect public health.

There have also been multiple reports that CDC acting principal deputy director Nirav Shah is also stepping down, without commenting on his reasons.

In a post on BlueSky, departing FDA Commissioner Robert Califf wrote: "I am grieving for the many talented & dedicated FDA employees who have been mistreated & those left to do the work of protecting public health. Also, for those who will be harmed by this among patients and the public. Those who are complicit in their silence will be judged harshly by history."