Inside the push to keep RFK Jr.'s vaccine agenda alive

Key Points:

• President Donald Trump's chief pollster and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have shifted focus from vaccine skepticism to affordability and vaccine policy changes behind the scenes, despite public political risks associated with anti-vaccine rhetoric.
• Kennedy's allies are working to reshape federal vaccine advisory panels and create a new Office of Science at the CDC, aiming to influence vaccine research, recommendations, and policy decisions beyond public scrutiny.
• The administration is pursuing new vaccine studies on safety concerns long promoted by skeptics, including links to autism and other conditions, despite mainstream scientific consensus that vaccines are safe and effective.
• Legal challenges have blocked some of Kennedy's changes to vaccine advisory committees, but efforts continue to reestablish these panels with broader discretion in member selection, potentially allowing greater influence of vaccine skeptics.
• These developments could have lasting impacts on vaccine policy and public health, as experts warn that emphasizing risks over benefits may increase vaccine hesitancy and disease outbreaks.