HHS Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr got the support for Senate confirmation by pledging that he would work with the decades-old US system to approve and use vaccines for adults and children. Unfortunately, he has not kept that promise, and regulators appointed by him to important positions in that US vaccine system are promising disastrous changes. We don’t know what shots might be available in the next few months or years.

The new FDA Commissioner, Marty Makary, has stated that the FDA will soon “unleash a massive framework” for how vaccines are tested and approved. He hasn’t described the new plan, but it’s being overseen by the new vaccine chief, Vinay Prasad, MD, MPH, who has previously criticized the FDA’s handling of COVID vaccine boosters.

None of these individuals appear to have any interest in maintaining the US vaccine system, and it’s clear that RFK Jr intentionally misled Senators about what he was planning to do. I’m not shocked.

The MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) report, released on 22 May 2025, calls for increased scrutiny of the childhood vaccine schedule, a review of the pesticides sprayed on American crops, and a description of the nation’s children as overmedicated and undernourished.

Of course, all of the scientific evidence shows that vaccines are safe and effective. Kennedy and his anti-vaccine sycophants are just trying to make it seem that vaccines are either unsafe or ineffective, partially by pushing the “no placebo” trope.

This post will examine some more of the specifics describing how Kennedy is out to destroy confidence in the US vaccine system. I wonder if we will reach a point where parents take their children to Canada to get vaccines that prevent deadly diseases.

Destroying confidence in the US vaccine system

Let’s count the ways that RFK Jr and other HHS officials are damaging the US vaccine system.

1. Makary and other officials are trying to raise uncertainty about the Fall 2025 COVID vaccinations. They had delayed the FDA scientists’ full approval of the Novavax COVID vaccine. Once they did approve it, they restricted its use to people who are at higher risk from the virus.
2. These officials have also suggested that the seasonal tweaks made to the vaccine to match the latest circulating virus strains will be considered “new vaccines” and require extra testing. This is not how we evaluate vaccines that are matched to current circulating strains, such as the flu vaccine.
3. Kennedy and his allies are expected to end COVID vaccine recommendations for children. Of course, science does not support this move.
4. The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization (ACIP) has updated the recommendations for the meningococcal and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccines. As of the date of this article, the CDC has not acted on the recommendations.
5. Kennedy ended research around the country that was examining vaccine hesitancy, which was originally supported by the National Institutes of Health.
6. During a recent Senate committee meeting, Kennedy claimed that only COVID vaccines were tested against a placebo. This is patently false.

This is just what happened last week. It’s almost impossible to keep up with the MAHA crowd’s attacks on the scientific facts about vaccines.

Summary

Creating this world where the MAHA types try to show that the US vaccine system is either broken or corrupt will not lead to healthier children; it will lead to Make America Sick Again, especially our children.

Most Americans want vaccines for their children, though the numbers have slightly dropped because of the onslaught of false information about vaccines. As I stated above, I know that there will be a large group of Americans who will take their children to Canada to get vaccinated. Sadly, that will be reserved for people who have the means to do so, and those who do not have the means will watch their children get sick and end up in the hospital.

Furthermore, the costs of a huge measles outbreak in unvaccinated children who need to be hospitalized will be overwhelming. I do not believe that the healthcare system can work in a country where children are getting sick from diseases we thought were long gone.

And if America Makes Polio Great Again, no one manufactures an iron lung anymore. Modern ventilators may not be an acceptable alternative since they can be invasive.

Kennedy is doing so much damage to the US vaccine system, I worry that if a Democrat replaces Trump in 2028, the new HHS Secretary will need years to fix what Kennedy demolished.

I keep telling people this — get yourself and your children up-to-date on all vaccines, because I worry that none may be available soon. If I said that a year ago, you’d think I was exaggerating. Not now.

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