Robert F Kennedy Jr has dismissed suggestions that his vaccine scepticism has contributed to measles outbreaks in the US, instead blaming immigrants. The Health Secretary told lawmakers at a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on Tuesday that the outbreaks are linked to unvaccinated migrants.
“It has nothing to do with me,” Kennedy said. “If you’re worried about polio and tuberculosis, you should look at the immigration policies in this country. The place where it’s occurring are the places where the immigrants are going, because they’re not vaccinated.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services later said the remarks were “taken out of context completely”, adding that outbreaks are concentrated in under-vaccinated communities with international travel. The US has seen over 1,700 measles cases this year, following major outbreaks in Texas in 2025.
Since becoming Health Secretary, Kennedy has fired all 17 members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, replacing them with vaccine sceptics. He also removed the Covid-19 vaccine from the recommended schedule for healthy children and pregnant women.
During the hearing, Kennedy refused to commit to implementing vaccine guidance from Erica Schwartz, Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the CDC. “I’m not going to make that kind of commitment,” he said when pressed by Rep. Raul Ruiz.
