Thanks to Ed M.
Answer: Could it possibly have anything to do with $en. Cassidy’s desire to be re-elected?
SENATOR BILL CASSIDY: …If you are confirmed, do you commit that you will not work to impound, divert or otherwise reduce any funding appropriated by Congress for the purpose of vaccination programs?
ROBERT KENNEDY: Yes.
- On March 10, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) terminated at least 33 research grants for projects studying why some people are hesitant to receive vaccines or evaluating strategies that could encourage vaccine uptake. NIH to ax grants on vaccine hesitancy | Science | AAAS.
- On March 26 it was reported the U.S. terminated a grant to Gavi for international vaccination programs worth $2.6 billion through 2030. U.S. to End Vaccine Funds for Poor Countries – The New York Times
- On March 25, the CDC announced the end of at least $1.1 billion in funding for immunization programs as part of a $11.3 billion claw back of approved and obligated but unspent funds. Trump administration says it will pull back billions in COVID funding from local health departments
- On March 26, the Trump administration has canceled funding for dozens of studies seeking new vaccines and treatments for Covid-19 and other pathogens that may cause future pandemics H.H.S. Scraps Studies of Vaccines and Treatments for Future Pandemics – The New York Times
- On March 27, reports emerged that HHS has hired a leading figure in the anti-vaccine movement to work on a study examining the long-debunked theory that vaccines cause autism. RFK Jr. Turns to a Discredited Vaccine Researcher for Autism Study – The New York Times
- On March 28, the top vaccine official at the FDA, Dr. Peter Marks, was forced to resign. Peter Marks, FDA top vaccine regulator, forced out
- On March 29, the HHS Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy was eliminated as part of the HHS Reorganization. This is the office that convenes the National Vaccine Advisory Committee (NVAC). RFK Jr. Expected to Lay Off Entire Office of Infectious Disease And HIV/AIDS Policy
- On April 1, The National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases lost its partnership and health equity branch. https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/03/which-jobs-were-cut-at-cdc-heres-a-list-00271509
- On April 2, the Food and Drug Administration laid off staffers who support the Vaccine and Related Biological Products Advisory Panel. RFK Jr. Lays Off Staffers Who Run FDA’s Vaccine Expert Panel
- On May 27, RFK, Jr. circumvented usual FDA and ACIP review processes and announced that COVID-19 vaccines are no longer recommended for healthy children and pregnant women. Kennedy says government no longer recommends COVID vaccines for healthy children and pregnant women | PBS News
- On June 9, RFK, Jr. fired all members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. RFK fires CDC’s ACIP members: What does that mean for Americans?
- On August 5, RFK, Jr. ordered the cancellation of $500m in funding for mRNA vaccines being developed to counter viruses that cause diseases such as the flu and Covid-19. RFK Jr cancels $500m in mRNA vaccine development in the US
- On August 15, RFJ, Jr. said he is reinstating the Task Force on Safer Childhood Vaccines to recommend ways to develop vaccines that pose fewer side effects. This is a few months after a prominent anti-vaccine group RFK Jr once led sued over the panel’s disbandment decades ago. https://subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2025/08/hhs-resurrects-vaccine-safety-group-amid-legal-challenge-00509916