Kennedy’s Controversial Funding Decision

If anyone needed proof that Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the U.S. health secretary and prominent anti-vaccine figure, lacks a background in science or medicine, a video he shared on social media Tuesday evening serves as a clear example.

In a brief two-and-a-half-minute clip, Kennedy declared that he would be withdrawing nearly $500 million in funding aimed at developing mRNA vaccines for diseases with pandemic potential. This money will be reclaimed from 22 contracts previously granted by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), the federal agency responsible for medical countermeasures addressing public health threats.

While Kennedy has long been against vaccines in general, he exhibits a particular animosity toward mRNA vaccines. Since their rapid introduction during the COVID-19 pandemic—developed and produced at an unprecedented pace—Kennedy has relentlessly criticized them and spread misinformation concerning their effectiveness.

In his video, Kennedy continued this pattern, incorrectly stating that “as the pandemic showed us, mRNA vaccines don’t perform well against viruses that infect the upper respiratory tract.” In fact, COVID-19 vaccines are estimated to have saved over 3 million lives in the U.S. alone during the first two years of the pandemic and have prevented more than 18 million hospitalizations in that same period. The majority of COVID-19 vaccines administered in the U.S. are mRNA-based.

However, Kennedy’s remarks didn’t stop there and grew even more perplexing.

Here’s the problem: mRNA only codes for a small part of viral proteins usually a single antigen. One mutation, and the vaccine becomes ineffective. This dynamic drives a phenomenon called antigenic shift meaning that the vaccine paradoxically encourages new mutations and can actually prolong pandemics as the virus constantly mutates to escape the protective effects of the vaccine.

Fact-check

To break this down, let’s first clarify how mRNA-based vaccines operate. These vaccines introduce a segment of genetic information—in the form of messenger RNA (mRNA)—into our cells. Our cells interpret this mRNA code and produce a corresponding protein that the immune system can target, generating antibodies and cellular responses. If the immune system later encounters this code during an actual viral infection or other threat, it recognizes it and mounts a defensive reaction. Generally, these snippets from pathogens that prompt an immune response are known as antigens.