The botched announcement about mRNA vaccines reveals a health department full of dysfunction and infighting.
On the evening of August 5, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. posted a 2 ½-minute video on X announcing that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) was canceling roughly $500 million in mRNA vaccine research across 22 contracts managed by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).
Earlier that day, Kennedy had been at the National Mall pedaling a stationary bike to power a blender for a blueberry smoothie at a USDA farmers market. By the evening, he was in Anchorage, Alaska, for a scheduled stop on his “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) tour, meeting with tribal health leaders and salmon fishing in the wilderness.
While Kennedy was in Alaska, scientists and public health experts reacted strongly against the announcement. What should have been a signature moment in Kennedy’s first year at HHS—fulfilling his promise to end vaccines he has long criticized as dangerous—turned into a public relations disaster. Over the week, Kennedy angered almost every group of allies: MAGA, MAHA, the White House, and his own agency.
In his video, Kennedy claimed, without providing evidence, that mRNA vaccines had failed to protect against upper respiratory infections. “We reviewed the science, listened to the experts and acted,” he said.
Inside HHS, however, there was little preparation for the decision. The announcement came without a communications plan, fact sheets for staff or the White House, or experts available to explain the decision to the public, according to multiple current and former HHS officials speaking anonymously. Interviews and insider accounts revealed how the announcement exposed deep dysfunction at the agency, which is struggling under Kennedy’s leadership.
“It came out of the blue,” one official said.
MAGA and MAHA supporters were left confused. Experts warned of serious consequences: former Surgeon General Jerome Adams said the move could “cost lives,” while Rick Bright, former BARDA director, warned it could “cripple our front-line defense.” Even the Trump-friendly National Review ran an editorial titled, “Don’t Abandon mRNA.”
Some MAHA supporters were frustrated that Kennedy had not gone further in criticizing mRNA vaccines, as he had promised on the campaign trail. Meanwhile, the White House seemed caught off guard. Asked about the decision, President Trump replied, “Research on what?” and later said, “We’re going to look at that… We have meetings about it tomorrow at 12 o’clock.”
HHS under Kennedy is unusual. Many leadership roles typically held by experienced public health officials have instead been filled by anti-vaccine activists, Trump loyalists, and fringe advisers. When controversies arise, these aides manage the response.
With Kennedy still in Alaska, damage control fell to Gray Delany, a MAHA loyalist hired in June to coordinate with MAGA media and the MAHA movement. Delany worked with Dr. Steven Hatfill, a former Trump adviser, to draft fact sheets, line up media appearances, and rally MAHA supporters. On Bannon’s “War Room,” Hatfill claimed the decision was based on a 181-page list of studies showing widespread harm from COVID vaccines—a list widely criticized by experts.
The response caused internal conflict. Delany was fired after just 52 days, reportedly because principal deputy chief of staff Stefanie Spear “lost confidence” in him. Critics argued HHS punished the one staffer trying to organize a coherent response.
Meanwhile, Kennedy’s messaging continued to shift. By August 9, NIH director Jay Bhattacharya distanced himself from claims that mRNA vaccines were deadly, framing the decision instead as one of timing: the technology was “promising, but not yet ready for prime time.” That same day, Kennedy offered condolences for a CDC officer killed in a shooting, reaffirming support for public health staff.
HHS turmoil continued. Alastair Thomson, chief data officer at the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), resigned, calling the mRNA decision “completely counter to the data” and warning it threatened the future of mRNA research.
By August 12, Bhattacharya published an op-ed in The Washington Post saying the vaccines failed a “crucial test” because the public did not trust them—not because they were unsafe. Over the week, the HHS explanations shifted repeatedly: Kennedy said the vaccines were ineffective, Hatfill said they were dangerous, and Bhattacharya said they were politically unviable.
None of the explanations were backed by solid scientific evidence, highlighting a department led by inexperience and ideology rather than data. As one HHS official summed up, “They need to get their act together.”
