US Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. defended his controversial vaccine funding cut at a Tuesday news conference in Anchorage. Speaking at the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium headquarters, Kennedy claimed mRNA COVID-19 vaccines prolonged the pandemic rather than ending it.
He argued the virus mutated in a way that rendered early vaccines ineffective, despite evidence showing updated versions protected against severe illness and death. Kennedy said the Department of Health will redirect roughly $500 million in federal funds toward developing a “universal vaccine” instead.
He insisted this new approach would use “much safer” and “better technology,” challenging decades of established vaccine science. Medical groups immediately resisted the vaccine funding cut, calling it dangerous and uninformed.
Dr Bobby Mukkamala, president of the American Medical Association, said mRNA vaccines saved lives and warned against halting critical research. Studies estimate that vaccines prevented 2.5 million deaths and saved 15 million life years globally between 2020 and 2024.
In 2023, the Nobel Prize recognized scientists who helped develop the mRNA vaccine platform. At the event, Kennedy also repeated false claims that childhood vaccines were never appropriately tested before approval.
He argued that no vaccine besides the COVID shot had undergone placebo-controlled trials, contradicting the CDC data and federal approval standards. Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, joined the press conference and defended the long-established value of vaccines. She expressed concern over Kennedy firing members of the vaccine advisory board and installing a new panel.
