Trump orders cut to childhood vaccines as Kennedy's autism study yields no findings
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President Trump signed an executive order to reduce recommended childhood immunizations while Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s secretive autism research has not produced evidence linking vaccines to the disorder.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Aug. 10 directing a review of the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule and recommending fewer immunizations, a move that has drawn criticism from medical groups. The order, which does not name autism, follows months of pressure on Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to identify a cause for the rise in autism diagnoses.
Kennedy has overseen a multimillion-dollar, closed-door research effort that has yet to present any data linking vaccines to autism. Psychologist Helen Tager-Flusberg described the project as “as opaque as it could possibly be,” comparing its secrecy to the Manhattan Project. The Department of Health and Human Services said the review builds on a January reassessment of the vaccine schedule but offered no details on which vaccines are under scrutiny.
Critics note that decades of scientific research point to genetics and various environmental factors, not vaccines, as contributors to autism. Kennedy has previously promoted unsubstantiated claims, such as a link between prenatal Tylenol use and autism, which recent studies in JAMA have disproved. He also cited a misinterpreted study on thimerosal exposure that found no increased risk.
The administration’s approach has been met with skepticism from lawmakers and autism advocacy groups. Former Republican congressman and physician Larry Bucshon warned that the timing could hurt Republican candidates in swing districts. Autism Society policy manager Delancy Allred said no federal officials have met with Kennedy, and that he relies on a small circle of vaccine skeptics for advice.
Despite the lack of concrete findings, Trump reiterated his belief in a vaccine-autism connection during a Cabinet meeting and praised the polio vaccine as “amazing.” White House officials declined to comment on the status of Kennedy’s research.
The move comes as the nation faces a surge in measles cases and as the Senate entered a recess after confirming key health officials. Scientists, including NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, acknowledge that the cause of the autism increase remains unknown.