GOP fears force retreat on vaccine policy
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s federal vaccine advisory panel has abandoned plans to end recommendations for Covid-19 mRNA shots after Republican lawmakers warned the move could damage the party in November's midterm elections, according to two sources who spoke to the Washington Post. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) — stacked with Kennedy appointees who have publicly questioned vaccine safety — had been exploring whether to pull federal guidance on the shots entirely.
Trust in health agencies hits new lows under Kennedy
The reversal comes as Kennedy's "Make America Healthy Again" agenda continues to erode public confidence in the institutions he claims to be defending. New polling shows trust in government health agencies has declined further since the start of 2026, despite Kennedy's stated goal of restoring faith in public health. The credibility crisis deepened this week when experts revealed that Retsef Levi — an MIT operations management professor Kennedy appointed to review Covid vaccine safety — has authored research on vaccines that more than a dozen scientists say fails to meet basic scientific standards. HHS defended Levi as "more than qualified" and dismissed criticism as "politically motivated."
Danish vaccine trial in Africa raises ethical alarm bells
Meanwhile, a controversial vaccine study in Guinea-Bissau is drawing comparisons to what experts fear could become the template for Kennedy's domestic research agenda. The trial, designed by Danish researchers whose work has been called into question, would have withheld hepatitis B vaccines from half of newborns despite an 18% adult prevalence rate of the illness — which can cause fatal health complications. Public health experts are calling the study design "unethical" and warning it may serve as a "prototype" for Kennedy's approach to vaccine research in the United States.
Trump's autism claims drove medication behavior
Kennedy isn't the only administration official whose unsubstantiated health claims are affecting patient care. A Lancet study published this week found that President Trump's 2025 statement urging pregnant women to avoid Tylenol — based on unfounded links to autism — resulted in a measurable drop in orders for the over-the-counter medication among pregnancy-related emergency department visits. The research demonstrates how presidential health misinformation translates directly into changed medical behavior, even when the underlying claims lack scientific support.
What to watch: Midterm elections as referendum on health policy
The vaccine panel's retreat signals that Kennedy's most aggressive moves may face political constraints as Republicans worry about voter backlash. The ACIP meets later this month, and while the mRNA rollback is off the table for now, the panel still includes members who have promoted debunked theories about DNA contaminants in vaccines. Kennedy continues to push other fronts of his agenda — this week pressuring medical schools to expand nutrition education and warning Dunkin' and other companies they'll need to prove ingredient safety. Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey's response to the Dunkin' threat: "Come and take it." The midterms will test whether voters reward or punish Republicans for empowering Kennedy's unorthodox approach to public health policy.