Ignoring scientists’ pleas, RFK Jr. slashes investments in mRNA vaccines

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Ignoring scientists’ pleas, RFK Jr. slashes investments in mRNA vaccines Remember when Donald Trump celebrated mRNA-based vaccines as a “modern-day miracle”? That was before Robert F. Kennedy Jr. got to work.

Aug. 6, 2025, 9:48 AM EDT

By Steve Benen

When senators were considering Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, they were told not to worry too much about his radicalism. Sure, RFK Jr. had a record of promoting bizarre and unscientific ideas, but once in office, the argument went, his ambitions would be limited.

The pitch worked. Just three weeks into Donald Trump’s second term, the GOP-led Senate confirmed Kennedy. In all, 52 Republicans — including alleged “moderates” such as Maine’s Susan Collins and Alaska’s