RFK Jr. Urges Public Not to Seek Medical Advice from Him Amid Vaccine Debate

Social Media · 2025-05-15T21:08:11Z

RFK Jr. Urges Public Not to Seek Medical Advice from Him Amid Vaccine Debate

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., serving as Donald Trump’s health secretary, told Congress this week that the public should not rely on him for health advice, emphasizing that his personal beliefs on vaccines are not meant to guide others. "I don’t want to seem like I’m being evasive, but I don’t think people should be taking medical advice from me," Kennedy said during a House select committee hearing on Wednesday morning.

The statement came in response to Representative Mark Pocan, a Democrat from Wisconsin, who asked Kennedy whether, as head of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), he would currently vaccinate his own children against measles. The U.S. is grappling with its worst measles outbreak in decades, with over 1,000 confirmed cases and three deaths reported, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Kennedy replied that he would “probably” vaccinate his child for measles but quickly dismissed the relevance of his opinion. "My personal views are irrelevant," he told lawmakers. Instead, Kennedy said he had tasked Jay Bhattacharya, director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), with creating clear, research-based information outlining both the risks and benefits of vaccines so that the public can make informed decisions. “I think if I answer that question directly, that it will seem like I’m giving advice to other people, and I don’t want to be doing that,” he added.

Pocan pushed back, noting, “That’s kind of your jurisdiction.” Kennedy also declined to say whether he would vaccinate a newborn child against chickenpox or polio, further avoiding direct endorsements of any specific immunization.

The discussion occurred during a House appropriations committee hearing where Kennedy faced criticism not only for his vaccine stance but also for proposed budget cuts to major health agencies. The administration’s 2026 budget plan includes a proposed $18 billion reduction in funding for the NIH and a $3.6 billion cut to the CDC. Simultaneously, it allocates $500 million for Kennedy’s “Make America Health Again” initiative, aimed at addressing chronic disease in the country.

Kennedy argued that U.S. health agencies are handling the current measles crisis more effectively than those in other countries. He also claimed that staffing reductions at HHS had not compromised the agency’s essential programs.

His judgment was also questioned earlier in the week after he posted a photo on X (formerly Twitter) of his grandchildren swimming in Washington, D.C.’s Rock Creek Park during a Mother’s Day outing. The creek is widely known for its unsafe water quality due to contamination from raw sewage. The National Park Service (NPS) states on its website that “Rock Creek has high levels of bacteria and other infectious pathogens that make swimming, wading, and other contact with the water a hazard to human (and pet) health.”

Despite mounting concerns over public health messaging and transparency, Kennedy maintained that his focus remains on making scientific data accessible to Americans without inserting his personal beliefs into public health policy.

Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Telegraph 2025-05-16