Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is slated to deliver the keynote address at a Washington, D.C., conference hosted by Children’s Health Defense (CHD), the anti-vaccine advocacy organization he co-founded and once led. The event, scheduled for Thursday, marks Kennedy’s first public appearance at an official CHD gathering since he assumed leadership of the nation’s health agency.
For the past year, Kennedy has attempted to distance himself from CHD’s controversial campaigns, which question the safety and efficacy of childhood vaccines and have become a cornerstone of the anti-vaccination movement. During his Senate confirmation hearing, Kennedy reassured lawmakers that he would not undermine public confidence in vaccines, insisting he is not anti-vaccine.
A memorable exchange with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) highlighted the tension. Sanders displayed images of onesies sold by CHD that read “Unvaxxed, Unafraid” and “No Vax, No Problem,” asking Kennedy, “Are you supportive of these onesies?” Kennedy responded that he had nothing to do with the merchandise and had resigned from the group. “I am supportive of vaccines,” he said at the time.
Thursday’s conference, billed as a forum to “highlight the work of key government officials and individuals who are advocating for transparency, accountability and justice in the area of public health,” comes amid unprecedented efforts by the Trump administration to roll back childhood vaccine mandates and downplay the severity of outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases like measles.
The event will also feature speeches from Republican lawmakers including Sens. Ron Johnson (Wis.) and Rand Paul (Ky.), as well as Reps. Paul Gosar (Ariz.) and Thomas Massie (Ky.). Also on the agenda is Andrew Wakefield, the discredited doctor whose medical license was revoked and who is widely credited with launching the debunked theory linking vaccines to autism.
Kennedy’s ties to CHD run deep. He joined the World Mercury Project, a nonprofit focused on removing mercury from vaccines, in 2015, then rebranded it as Children’s Health Defense. He served as chairman and top lawyer until 2024, when he stepped down to run for president. During his tenure, he earned a six-figure salary and millions more through lawsuits against vaccine manufacturers and challenges to state vaccine policies.
The group’s stated mission is to end chronic health conditions in children by “eliminating toxic exposures,” but critics point to its promotion of anti-immunization views as harmful and unscientific. HHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Kennedy’s appearance at the CHD conference underscores the growing influence of once-fringe views within the Trump administration. Leaders of the organization have been appointed to prominent positions at HHS, and false claims about vaccine-autism links have been echoed by President Trump himself. This shift raises questions about the administration’s commitment to public health, especially as measles cases continue to rise in several states. For more on the administration’s broader public health posture, see the fragility of U.S. bio-defenses and the need for layered defenses in other critical sectors.
As Kennedy prepares to address the conference, public health experts and vaccine advocates watch closely, concerned that his remarks could further erode trust in immunization programs. The event also comes as the administration pushes to reshape federal health policy, with potential implications for vaccine recommendations and disease outbreak responses.
