A move by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to terminate a series of federal contracts for mRNA vaccine research is being directly challenged by members of Congress. Congress is preparing to invest more than a billion dollars into the same technology he’s trying to get rid of. It’s a shocking decision that has drawn heavy criticism from public health experts, and a number of prominent administration officials, including the President, have failed to defend it.
According to a report from Stat News, the Republican-led House Appropriations Committee is advancing a revised spending package that would invest $1.1 billion for “advanced research and development” at the Center for Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), and a part of that funding is specifically for mRNA vaccines.
