RFK Jr. Says Measles Outbreaks Not His Fault: ‘I’ve Never Been Anti-Vaccine’

Key Points:

• Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. denied being anti-vaccine during a House committee hearing, despite his long history of spreading vaccine misinformation and skepticism.
• Democrats criticized Kennedy for contributing to the resurgence of measles in the U.S., noting his role in replacing HHS advisory committee members with vaccine skeptics and downplaying the seriousness of outbreaks.
• Measles cases have surged in recent years, threatening the U.S.'s elimination status, with many infections occurring in unvaccinated individuals; Kennedy blamed government distrust from the COVID-19 pandemic rather than his own rhetoric.
• Medical experts and lawmakers condemned Kennedy for undermining public trust in vaccines and other medical interventions, such as vitamin K shots for newborns, warning that his influence is causing preventable illnesses and deaths.
• Representatives questioned Kennedy's silence on vaccines in his official testimony and suggested political considerations might be limiting his public vaccine skepticism ahead of upcoming elections.