U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., testifies before a Senate Finance Committee hearing on President Donald Trump’s 2026 health care agenda, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., September 4, 2025.
Jonathan Ernst | Reuters
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. doubled down on false claims about vaccines and claimed he isn’t limiting access to Covid shots during his Senate testimony on Thursday, as senators grilled him on his sweeping changes to immunization policy and federal health agencies.
Kennedy said he supports a statement made by a newly appointed member of a key government vaccine panel that mRNA vaccines pose a dangerous risk to people. Numerous studies have demonstrated that shots using mRNA technology, including Covid vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, are safe and effective, and serious side effects have happened in extremely rare cases.
Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., noted that the committee member, Dr. Retsef Levi, has said that evidence is mounting that mRNA vaccines cause “serious harm, including death, especially among young people,” apparently referring to a post pinned on Levi’s X account. Kennedy appointed Levi to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccine recommendations and insurance coverage.
Kennedy said he wasn’t aware of Levi’s comments, but added, “I agree with it.”
He also claimed that anyone could get a Covid...
A representative for Aaron Phypers has accused Denise Richards of making “false accusations” leading to his arrest and insisted he “will be acquitted”. Aaron Phypers has accused Denise Richards of ...