‘Just A Lie’: RFK Jr. Defends Anti-Vaccine Website Overhaul As ‘Honesty’ Amid Senate Clash
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is doubling down on his controversial decision to insert anti-vaccine talking points into the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website, characterizing the move as an act of transparency rather than a departure from established science.
In an interview with The New York Times published Friday, Kennedy rejected the longstanding medical consensus regarding vaccine safety, defending his directive to alter the agency’s public guidance.
“The whole thing about ‘vaccines have been tested and there’s been this determination made,’ is just a lie,” Kennedy told the newspaper. “The phrase ‘Vaccines do not cause autism’ is not supported by science.”
Kennedy framed the overhaul—which career scientists at the agency reportedly had no role in—as a necessary correction to comply with the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act’s requirement for high-quality data.
“My job is not to gaslight Americans but to give them accurate information about the state of the science,” Kennedy said. “I think the way to drive up vaccine utilization, ultimately, is to be honest with people.”
The Asterisk and the Agreement
The website updates appear to rely on a technicality to bypass assurances Kennedy gave to Congress. During his confirmation hearings, Kennedy promised Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), a physician and chair of the Senate health committee, that he would not remove the prominent banner stating that vaccines do not cause autism.
While the banner remains, it now carries a significant caveat. A newly added asterisk leads to a footnote explaining the header “has not been removed due to an agreement” with the committee chair.
Beneath the headline, the text now claims the safety assurance is not “evidence-based” and asserts that “studies supporting a link have been ignored by health authorities.” The revised pages notably omit standard information regarding the benefits of vaccination.
‘Wrong and Irresponsible’
The changes drew a sharp rebuke from Senator Cassidy on Thursday.
“What parents need to hear right now is vaccines for measles, polio, hepatitis B and other childhood diseases are safe and effective and will not cause autism,” Cassidy wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “Any statement to the contrary is wrong, irresponsible, and actively makes Americans sicker.”
Kennedy indicated to the Times that he had spoken with Cassidy regarding the changes and would be “happy to” appear before the Senate committee again.
Watchdogs Issue Warning
Beyond Capitol Hill, scientific advocacy groups are expressing alarm over what they view as the institutionalization of pseudoscience. The Center for Inquiry (CFI), a pro-science policy group, issued a statement condemning the updates as a “shameful dereliction” of the CDC’s public health mission.
“This ‘update’ betrays the scientific mission of the CDC and, I’m afraid, it’s a serious blow to its credibility,” said Stephen Hupp, executive director of CFI’s Committee for Skeptical Inquiry.
William Matthew London, a curator for the watchdog resource Quackwatch, suggested that Kennedy’s actions have compromised the agency’s integrity entirely.
“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention… is no longer a trustworthy source of health information,” London said, adding that the only statement from the Secretary he currently trusts is one Kennedy made during a May congressional hearing: “I don’t think people should be taking advice, medical advice, from me.”
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