The Trump administration's cuts to public health funding could have a devastating impact, according to one analyst.

Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently announced that his agency was canceling about $500 million in research funding for mRNA vaccines. Kennedy said in a video posted on social media that "mRNA technology poses more risk than benefits for these respiratory viruses."

Shanon Pauls, features editor at Slate, described the cuts in a recent essay as "downright reckless."

"Destroying public health is bad for everyone’s health," Pauls wrote. "Yes, the consequences of the damage to mRNA vaccine development will not be evenly felt across demographics; COVID hit some populations much, much harder than others. But at the end of the day, germs don’t really care who you are."

mRNA technology became a political lightning rod during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Trump administration used it to develop the first COVID-19 vaccinations. Trump and other officials, like Kennedy, have since criticized the technology.

Kennedy has also long criticized the pharmaceutical industry and promoted alternative medicines and lifestyle choices. For instance, Kennedy told podcaster Joe Rogan that he takes NAD+, a supplement promoted by many longevity scientists. He has also said that he follows an anti-aging protocol.

Pauls argued that these practices focus on personal health over collective health, which could make future novel infections and diseases tougher to address.

"When a novel disease spreads and we don’t have a way to whip up protection against it, the rich will die, too," Pauls wrote.

Read the entire essay by clicking here.