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The Conversation
The Conversation
Deborah Fuller, Professor of Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Washington

How RFK Jr.’s misguided science on mRNA vaccines is shaping policy − a vaccine expert examines the false claims

RFK Jr. canceled $500 million of funding for research on mRNA vaccine technology. Anadolu/Getty Images

At a Sept. 4, 2025, hearing before the Senate Finance Committee, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced heated questions from numerous senators about his vaccine policies, including his stance on COVID-19 vaccines and mRNA vaccine technology generally.

Although Kennedy agreed that Operation Warp Speed, President Donald Trump’s signature initiative to produce COVID-19 vaccines in nine months, was a tremendous achievement, he also maintained that COVID-19 vaccines cause widespread and serious harm, including death, particularly in young people – a claim for which there is no evidence.

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