Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. won't acknowledge the scientific consensus that childhood vaccines do not cause autism.
That skepticism over seemingly settled science appeared to come to a head over the weekend when the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) top vaccine official was forced out and issued a fiery public letter blasting Kennedy.
“It has become clear that truth and transparency are not desired by the secretary, but rather he wishes subservient confirmation of his misinformation and lies,” wrote Peter Marks in his resignation letter.
"Efforts currently being advanced by some on the adverse health effects of vaccination are concerning," Marks continued. "Undermining confidence in well-established vaccines ... is irresponsible, detrimental to public health, and a clear danger to our nation’s health, safety, and security."
Marks has been criticized for being too friendly with companies seeking approvals for novel gene therapies, while Kennedy has railed against what he sees as an overly cozy relationship between regulators and industry.
Public health experts and scientists have expressed fear about Kennedy’s long history as an anti-vaccine advocate since President Trump nominated him as secretary shortly after the election.
Marks’s ouster brings to a head a series of developments that seem to bolster concerns about the agency’s direction.
HHS reportedly has tasked a major player in the anti-vaccine community to conduct a study looking for the autism link that Kennedy insists is real, despite hundreds of studies showing otherwise.
In response to a rapidly growing measles outbreak in Texas, Kennedy has only tepidly supported vaccination while promoting fringe treatment ideas like vitamin A and cod liver oil, while also downplaying the severity of a measles infection.
Kennedy told NewsNation in a recent interview he wants to prioritize the creation of a new office within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to specialize in “vaccine injuries.”
HHS is also planning to fire 10,000 employees as part of a major reorganization, including every person working in the vaccine promotion and HIV prevention office.
Richard Besser, CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and a former acting director of the CDC, said Kennedy is moving quickly to shape HHS in his image.
“Each of these actions alone would be unsettling. Putting them together, they indicate a clear, dangerous pattern of behavior, and to see incredible talent like Dr. Peter Marks leaving the FDA will increase the risk further,” Besser said.
“[Marks’s] departure from the FDA is a very worrisome signal that this administration is moving forward in a real way with Secretary Kennedy's agenda to undermine trust in vaccines, and that is something that will gravely affect the health of people around the country,” Besser added.
Kennedy speaks often about following the “gold standard” of science, but experts — echoing Marks — say he is doing the opposite.
His refusal to acknowledge the data showing there is no link to autism is particularly troubling, experts said, since both he and Trump have repeatedly promoted it.
Kennedy is “talking out of both sides of his mouth,” said Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association. “They're going to spend money, time and effort doing something that's not going to be useful, regardless of what the results are.”
Some Republican senators pressed Kennedy on his unfounded claims about vaccines during his confirmation hearing in January, but ultimately voted to support him.
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