GOP complicit through inaction as RFK Jr. puts American lives at risk

In a sweeping and reckless decision, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has dismantled a critical line of defense against future pandemics and put the lives of millions of vulnerable Americans — including infants, children and the elderly — at risk of what might otherwise be preventable death.

This week, Kennedy announced the termination of 22 government-backed vaccine development projects — nearly half a billion dollars’ worth of work — aimed at combating respiratory viruses like COVID-19 and influenza using mRNA technology. That move alone would be cause for national alarm. But coupled with last week’s purge of respected medical institutions from the government’s vaccine advisory process, it signals a deeper crisis: The nation’s public health infrastructure is bei