John,
As Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. isn’t building up America’s pandemic defenses -- he’s tearing them down.
He has fired the CDC’s top vaccine advisors. He’s canceled the HIV vaccine program. He’s slashed funding for Bird Flu vaccines -- even as outbreaks continue to spread. At a time when the next pandemic could strike without warning, RFK Jr. is actively weakening our nation’s ability to respond.
Kennedy himself has admitted no one should rely on him for medical advice -- and on that point, he’s absolutely right. His views aren’t grounded in science or medicine. They’re shaped by a long history of promoting debunked conspiracy theories, from false claims that vaccines cause autism to disgraceful comparisons of vaccine mandates to Nazi Germany.
And yet, just as RFK Jr. is so immersed in these conspiracy circles, he’s also vulnerable to public pressure. His need for approval from his base has already forced him to backtrack when pushed hard -- and that’s our opportunity now.
Send a direct message to RFK Jr. and CDC Acting Director Matthew Buzzelli demanding the reinstatement of vaccine programs for HIV/AIDS, Bird Flu, and future pandemics now.
RFK Jr. misled the Senate during his confirmation hearings, hiding the full scope of his anti-science agenda. Now that he’s in power, he’s replacing experts with ideologues and sidelining mRNA technology that could save millions. These are chaotic political choices turned into disastrous health policy -- and they are deeply dangerous.
Decades of use have proven vaccines are safe and necessary. The HIV vaccine program was decades in the making and a source of hope for millions around the world. Now Bird Flu is spreading in livestock, and without a vaccine, we’ll have no recourse. Ending these programs doesn’t make us safer -- it makes the next pandemic more likely, and more deadly.
The people who will suffer first are the same communities hit hardest by COVID: frontline workers, seniors, kids, and low-income families. But let’s be clear: science must guide public health -- not fringe conspiracy theories and political pressure from anti-vaxx influencers.
Earlier this year, RFK Jr. tried to downplay the measles outbreak after three children died in Texas. He pushed fake science, suggesting vitamin A could replace vaccines. But after overwhelming public backlash, he flipped -- and ordered the CDC to distribute MMR vaccines to clinics and pharmacies in multiple states. That happened because people spoke up.
Now we need to do it again. Tell RFK Jr. and Acting CDC Director Buzzelli: Reinstate vaccine programs for HIV, Bird Flu, and future pandemic threats.
Thank you for insisting on evidence-based leadership and pandemic readiness -- because lives depend on it.
- DFA AF Team
