RFK Jr. says he personally directed CDC's new guidance on vaccines and
autism
[November 22, 2025]
By ALI SWENSON
NEW YORK (AP) — Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. personally
directed the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to update
its website to contradict its longtime guidance that vaccines don't
cause autism, he told The New York Times in an interview published
Friday.
His comments provide clarity into who directed the CDC's website change,
after many current and former staffers at the agency were surprised to
see new published guidance on Wednesday that defies scientific
consensus. Kennedy, a longtime vaccine critic, has upended the public
health agencies he oversees and pushed for and enacted changes that have
unsettled much of the medical community, which sees his policies as
harmful for Americans.
“The whole thing about ‘vaccines have been tested and there’s been this
determination made,’ is just a lie,” Kennedy said in the interview,
which was conducted Thursday.
The CDC's “vaccine safety” page now claims that the statement “vaccines
do not cause autism” is not based on evidence because it doesn't rule
out the possibility that infant vaccines are linked to the disorder. The
page also has been updated to suggest that health officials have ignored
studies showing a potential link.
Public health researchers and advocates strongly refute the updated
website, saying it misleads the public by exploiting the fact that the
scientific method can't satisfy a demand to prove a negative. They note
that scientists have thoroughly explored potential links between
vaccines and autism in rigorous research spanning decades, all pointing
to the same conclusion that vaccines don’t cause autism.
“No environmental factor has been better studied as a potential cause of
autism than vaccines,” the Autism Science Foundation said in a statement
Thursday. “This includes vaccine ingredients as well as the body’s
response to vaccines. All this research has determined that there is no
link between autism and vaccines.”
Kennedy, a longtime leader in the anti-vaccine movement, acknowledged to
The New York Times the existence of studies showing no link to autism
from the mercury-based preservative thimerosal or from the measles,
mumps and rubella vaccine. But he told the newspaper there are still
gaps in vaccine safety science and a need for more research.
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Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks
during a news conference on the Autism report by the CDC at the
Hubert Humphrey Building Auditorium in Washington, April 16, 2025.
(AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, file)
The move creates another disagreement between the health secretary and
Sen. Bill Cassidy, a physician and Louisiana Republican who chairs the
Senate health committee. During his confirmation process, Kennedy
pledged to Cassidy he would leave the statement that vaccines do not
cause autism on the CDC website. The statement remains on the website
but with a disclaimer that it was left there because of their agreement.
Kennedy told The New York Times he talked to Cassidy about the updated
website and that Cassidy disagreed with the decision.
“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 posted on X on Thursday. “Any statement to
the contrary is wrong, irresponsible, and actively makes Americans
sicker.”
The updated website comes as Kennedy has taken other steps as health
secretary that sow doubt in immunizations. He has pulled $500 million
for their development, ousted and replaced every member of a federal
vaccine advisory committee and pledged to overhaul a federal program for
compensating Americans injured by shots. He also fired former CDC
Director Susan Monarez less than a month into her tenure after they
clashed over vaccine policy.
Dr. Sean O’Leary, head of the infectious diseases committee at the
American Academy of Pediatrics, told reporters in a briefing Thursday
that the CDC's website update was perpetuating a lie.
“This is madness,” he said. “Vaccines do not cause autism, and
unfortunately, we can no longer trust health-related information coming
from our government.”
The Department of Health and Human Services, which didn't make Kennedy
available for an interview with The Associated Press this week, didn't
immediately respond to a request for comment.
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