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Senator markey's RFK Jr. ATTACKS Tracker

RFK Jr.'s anti-science agenda is putting the health and safety of every American at risk. The Office of Senator Edward J. Markey has compiled the following tracker to keep the public informed of RFK Jr.'s dangerous actions.

RFK JR TRACKER

September 4, 2025: RFK JR. appears before the Senate Finance Committee 
August 28, 2025: HHS Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neil is appointed as the acting CDC Director
August 28, 2025: The lawyer of CDC Director Susan Monarez says only the president himself can fire her as she continues to challenge her termination
August 27, 2025: The White House fires CDC Director Susan Monarez AFTER  disagreements with RFK JR.
August 26, 2025: RFK JR. revives a promise to release new information on the causes of autism by September, despite statements from other health officials that no studies will be ready by then
August 25, 2025: RFK Jr. pressures CDC Director Susan Monarez to resign because she refused to fire CDC officials and pre-approve changes to vaccine recommendations made by RFK’s hand-picked vaccine advisors
August 5, 2025: NIH announces cancelation of previously awarded grants, including $500 million in mRNA vaccine development projects
July 24, 2025: FDA seeks to ban the marketing of fluoride supplements for dental health, with support from the new head of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER)
July 23, 2025: Under RFK’s leadership, HHS illegally withholds millions of dollars from Head Start programs across the country, creating chaos and uncertainty
July 17, 2025: Under RFK's leadership, SAMHSA terminates the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s LGBTQ+ Youth Specialized Services program
July 15, 2025: CMS gives ICE direct access to Medicaid enrollees’ personal data to support immigration enforcement efforts
July 10, 2025: The Trump admin reinterprets existing regulations to blocks undocumented immigrants from accessing federal health programs and Head Start, among other programs
July 9, 2025: RFK Jr. states that the doctor accused of administering saline shots to children instead of the COVID-19 vaccine“deserves a medal for his courage and his commitment to healing!”
July 9, 2025: The CDC reports 1,288 measles cases in the United States in 2025, the highest number of cases in 33 years
June 25, 2025: RFK Jr. announces the United States will no longer contribute to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, an initiative responsible for vaccinating half of the world’s children against deadly diseases
June 24, 2025: While testifying before the House Energy & Commerce Committee, RFK Jr. falsely claimS “there was no science supporting that recommendation” for pregnant women to receive the COVID-19 vaccine
June 20, 2025: CMS finalizes a regulation what will strip Affordable Care Act health insurance coverage for up to 1.8 million Americans
June 9, 2025: RFK Jr. fires all 17 members of the independent Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) panel that is tasked with advising CDC on vaccine policy
June 3, 2025:  CMS rescinds guidance that clarified that hospitals participating in Medicare are obligated to provide emergency health care (including abortion when necessary) to pregnant patients under EMTALA requirements
May 30, 2025: NIH announces the termination of a $258 million program researching a vaccine to prevent HIV infections
May 28, 2025: CMS pressures hospitals providing gender-affirming care to patients under age 19 to discontinue those services, while HHS pressures providers and state medical boards to stop providing the treatments:
May 21, 2025: HHS continues to delete webpages on diversity, health equity, and gender identity
May 14, 2025: During House and Senate budget hearings, RFK repeats his skepticism of the measles vaccine
May 13, 2025: The FDA announces it is moving to remove ingestible fluoride prescription drugs for children from the market, claiming they are linked to “possibly decreased IQ,” and other health concerns
May 9, 2025: CDC data shows that the number of confirmed measles cases surpasses 1,000 for the first time in five years
May 1, 2025: RFK directs the CDC to develop new guidance to treat measles with drugs and vitamins
May 1, 2025: Health experts denounce the HHS’ decision to require all new vaccines to undergo placebo-controlled safety trials before approval, as politically driven and not based in science
April 30, 2025: RFK repeats completely unfounded claims that the MMR vaccine contains remnants of aborted fetuses
April 28, 2025: Agencies publish a RFK-directed report describing the Trump administration’s efforts to undermine transgender rights and defund transgender health programs
April 25, 2025: Title X funding freeze leads to closure of several Planned Parenthood clinics in rural areas throughout Michigan and Utah
April 24, 2025: RFK Jr. is sued by several reproductive health and civil rights groups for withholding $65.8 million in Title X family planning grants
April 20, 2025: RFK alleges that autism is an epidemic greater than the COVID-19 pandemic
April 18, 2025: HHS issues a stop work order to vaccine developer GeoVax for its development of a new COVID-19 vaccine
April 18, 2025: Trump administration plans to keep NIH indirect funding cuts in place despite district court order to restore funding
April 16, 2025: RFK hosts a press conference where he spreads misinformation about the cause of autism, asserting that autism is a “preventable disease”
April 14, 2025: RFK’s reduction in force in the Office on Smoking and Health, described as the “greatest gift to tobacco industry in the last half-century"
April 14, 2025: FDA hires contractors to replace safety inspectors fired under RFK
April 12, 2025: RFK’s reduction in force efforts eliminates the entire HHS office responsible for setting the annual poverty guidelines
April 11, 2025: CMS writes to State Medicaid Directors alleging that gender-affirming care for transgender minors causes “irreparable harm” 
April 10, 2025: RFK Jr. alleges there is an “autism epidemic” and that HHS is beginning research efforts that will determine the cause by September
April 9, 2025: RFK Jr. raises doubts in the effectiveness of the measles vaccine during TV interview
April 8, 2025: RFK Jr. applauds the federal government’s response to the measles outbreak in Texas, despite it being the worst measles outbreak in the U.S. in over 30 years:
April 7, 2025: RFK Jr. announces that he is directing the CDC to stop recommending fluoridation of water nationally
April 6, 2025: RFK Jr. meets with two anti-vaccine doctors and celebrated their use of unproven treatments for measles
April 4, 2025: RFK announced his Make America Healthy Again tour
April 3, 2025: RFK Jr. admits large percentage of firings may have been a mistake
April 2, 2025: Under RFK’s leadership, the FDA missed its deadline to make a decision on approval for Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine
April 1, 2025: Trump administration fires entire budget office at the Administration for Community Living (ACL), halting the flow of appropriated money
April 1, 2025: RFK Jr’s HHS reorganization directive sent termination notices to 10,000 HHS employees, as ten of HHS’s regional offices were closed
March 29, 2025: Top biologics official at the FDA, Peter Marks, resigned before being forced out due to his disagreement with RFK Jr. on vaccines
March 28, 2025: Council for Responsible Nutrition warns against using vitamin A as a preventative for measles in response to RFK Jr. recommendation
March 27, 2025: HHS announces a reorganization of the agency that includes plans to fire ~10,000 federal employees, and merging several agency divisions to create a new “Administration for a Healthy America”
March 25, 2025: RFK Jr. appoints David Geier, a vaccine conspiracy theorist, to lead a study into the link between immunizations and autism
March 24, 2025: CDC cancels $11 billion in local and state public health grants
March 23, 2025: NIH terminates three clinical studies that would prevent alcohol-related harms and violence
March 20, 2025: RFK Jr falsely declares that cell phones cause cancer and neurological damage to kids
March 19, 2025: CMS proposes new regulations that would kick up to 2 million people off of their health insurance and allows for-profit insurance companies to raise prices and cover fewer services
March 16, 2025: NIH Acting Director Matthew Memoli announces to scientists that all research on mRNA vaccines will be reviewed directly by RFK and the White House
March 14, 2025: FDA, CDC, and DOD privately meet to decide on selection of strains to recommend to manufacturers for the 2025-2026 influenza season, instead of usual meeting with external experts
March 13, 2025: HHS removes Surgeon General’s advisory on gun violence from its website
March 11, 2025: RFK Jr. announces the closure of six regional offices of the Office of the General Counsel
March 11, 2025: RFK Jr. suggests that the federal government should let avian flu spread through bird populations to see which animals survive
March 8, 2025: RFK Jr gives DOGE access to the Federal Parent Locator System, a database containing highly sensitive data of millions of Americans
March 7, 2025: RFK Jr announces the cancellation of over $400 million in grants and contracts to Columbia University
March 4, 2025: RFK Jr. announces that the CDC’s measles response is producing “very, very good results” while the Us saw highest number of measles cases in decades
March 2, 2025: RFK Jr. claims that good nutrition is the best defense against infectious illnesses like measles
February 28, 2025: RFK Jr. announces intent to eliminate public participation in HHS rulemaking
February 27, 2025: RFK Jr. cancels the annual Rare Disease Day meeting hosted by FDA and NIH
February 27, 2025: FDA cancels meeting of its vaccine advisory committee (VRBPAC) with no immediate plans of rescheduling
February 26, 2025: First child dies amid Texas measles outbreak. RFK Jr. said “It’s not unusual. We have measles outbreaks every year.”
February 22, 2025: NIH grant freeze results in major defunding of scientific research, threatening the lives of the American public
February 21, 2025: CDC confirms two new cases of avian flu in humans, after RFK Jr. decision to end influenza vaccine awareness campaign
February 20, 2025: RFK Jr. indefinitely postponed an Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) meeting
February 20, 2025: Trump orders shutdown of Long Covid Advisory Committee
February 19, 2025: RFK Jr. ends the CDC’s influenza vaccine awareness campaign, “Wild to Mild”:
February 18, 2025: FDA’s first Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods, Jim Jones, resigned due to HHS layoffs
February 18, 2025: RFK Jr. gives his first speech to HHS employees, in which he says staff “who are unwilling to embrace [my] kinds of ideas can retire.”
February 18, 2025: RFK Jr. announces intent to investigate childhood vaccines as potential causes of chronic disease and decline in American health
February 17, 2025: HHS fires 750 probationary employees at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
February 16, 2025: Probationary employees at FDA are fired
February 14, 2025: Trump administration fires Renee Wegrzyn, the Director of ARPA-H
February 14, 2025: HHS grants ICE personnel access to sensitive data maintained by HHS’ Office of Refugee Resettlement
February 14, 2025: The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) begins layoffs of thousands of agency staff
February 13, 2025: RFK Jr. confirmed by Senate in a vote 52-48