The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has abruptly terminated several multi-million-dollar federal grants to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). This decisive action follows the prominent medical association's public criticism of policies implemented by Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr.
Vital Child Health Projects Lose Funding
The funding cuts, first reported by the Washington Post, were enacted without prior notice to the AAP. They affect a swathe of crucial child health initiatives. The terminated grants supported projects focused on reducing sudden infant death, improving rural healthcare access, mental and adolescent health, and aiding children with birth defects. Critically, programmes dedicated to the early identification of autism and the prevention of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders have also lost their financial backing.
AAP CEO Mark Del Monte confirmed the agency learned this week that seven of its HHS grants were being terminated. In a statement to the Guardian, Del Monte warned that "the sudden withdrawal of these funds will directly impact and potentially harm infants, children, youth, and their families in communities across the United States." The AAP is now exploring all options, including potential legal action, in response.
A Clash Over Language and Vaccine Policy
According to HHS officials cited by the Washington Post, the department terminated the grants after noting the AAP's materials used what it characterised as "identity-based language." This included references to racial disparities and the use of the term "pregnant people." A termination letter from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated the grant materials were "not aligned with current CDC and HHS priorities."
The funding dispute is the latest escalation in a simmering conflict between the paediatricians' body and the health secretary. Earlier this year, Kennedy broke with longstanding medical guidance by announcing the Covid-19 vaccine would no longer be included in the CDC's recommended immunisations for healthy children and pregnant women. The AAP subsequently issued its own contradictory Covid-19 vaccine recommendations.
In June, AAP president Dr Susan J Kressly stated, "We won't lend our name or our expertise to a system that is being politicised at the expense of children's health." Kennedy later questioned on social media whether the AAP's recommendations reflected public health interests or were a "pay-to-play scheme" for pharmaceutical companies.
Legal Challenges and Wider Consequences
The AAP, alongside other major medical associations, has since filed a lawsuit against HHS to challenge Kennedy's vaccine changes. In a supporting legal brief, the group Defend Public Health argued the policy shift would have far-reaching negative consequences. They warned it created uncertainty in vaccine administration, disproportionately affected at-risk populations like pregnant patients and children, and would ultimately burden hospitals due to reduced vaccination coverage.
An HHS spokesperson, Andrew Nixon, told the Washington Post the grants were ended because they "no longer align with departmental priorities." The Guardian has contacted HHS for further comment. The situation highlights the intense politicisation of public health policy in the United States and raises significant concerns about the immediate future of critical, evidence-based child health programmes.
