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By Jordan King
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Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s decision to cancel all federal funding for 22 mRNA vaccine development projects has triggered backlash from scientists, one warning of "dangerous repercussions."
Kennedy announced on Tuesday that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will pull a total of $500 million in funding for the vaccines, saying "these vaccines fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like COVID and flu."
Multiple scientists and doctors have spoken out against this decision with Rick Bright, who led the HHS's Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) from 2016 to 2020 saying on X: "A bad day for science, and huge blow to our national security. This decision will have dangerous repercussions."
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Dr. Thomas A. Russo, an expert in infectious diseases, told Newsweek that Kennedy's decision was "shortsighted" and said mRNA vaccines "will be critical when the next, inevitable infectious diseases crisis rears its ugly head."
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Why It Matters
The abrupt end to funding for mRNA vaccines for respiratory viruses—including COVID-19, influenza, RSV, and H5N1 bird flu—represents a marked shift in U.S. health policy.
Experts cautioned that the decision would eliminate a critical, proven technology platform, hamper the nation's ability to respond to future pandemics, and signal a prioritization of ideology over scientific evidence.
Kennedy has long faced criticism for his position on vaccines. He has insisted he is not opposed to all vaccines, saying he supports "safe vaccines" and he called for parents to consider measles vaccines earlier this year.
But he has also made contradictory statements, such as telling podcaster Lex Fridman that there are no safe and effective vaccines.
What To Know
On Tuesday, the HHS confirmed it would cancel $500 million in mRNA vaccine development contracts, impacting research teams and proposals—including those from Emory University, Tiba Biotech, Pfizer, Sanofi Pasteur and others.
"We reviewed the science, listened to the experts, and acted. BARDA is terminating 22 mRNA vaccine development investments because the data show these vaccines fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like COVID and flu," Kennedy said in a post on X. "We're shifting that funding toward safer, broader vaccine platforms that remain effective even as viruses mutate."
Russo, who works at New York's Buffalo VA Medical Center, told Newsweek: "Terminating mRNA vaccine development projects is shortsighted. This vaccine technology was unequivocally proven to be effective during the pandemic.
"It saved countless lives during the COVID pandemic and COVID mRNA vaccines have been shown to be the best means to prevent 'Long-COVID,' an ongoing and serious complication of infection.
"Further, mRNA vaccines can be developed more quickly than 'traditional' vaccines, which will be critical when the next, inevitable infectious diseases crisis rears its ugly head. Proper planning, supported by ongoing research, is needed for that day."
Dr. Lucky Tran, a molecular biologist, is one of many who spoke out against the decision on X: "This is so harmful. Scientists are developing mRNA-based cancer vaccines that could save so many lives."
Infectious diseases specialist Dr. Jake Scott wrote on the social media platform: "HHS is shutting down BARDA's mRNA vaccine portfolio, with Secretary RFK Jr. claiming the shots 'fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like COVID and flu. That framing is naive and reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of vaccinology. It conflates the unrealistic goal of blocking all infections with the real, achievable goal: reducing serious illness and death.
"No vaccine for respiratory viruses—COVID, flu, RSV—provides durable sterilizing immunity. That was never the standard and shouldn't be the expectation. What mRNA vaccines did deliver: the fastest prototype-to-patient timeline in history and a >90% reduction in the risk of invasive ventilation or death.
"Ending federal support now sacrifices the very speed and flexibility that saved lives. Science isn't served by abandoning a proven platform because it doesn't do something."
Newsweek has contacted the HHS, via email outside of working hours, for a response to these comments.
Supporters of the move included the Children's Health Defense, a nonprofit founded by Kennedy Jr. which focuses on childhood health epidemics but is well-known for its anti-vaccination positions.
It said: "CHD applauds this most recent announcement to defund 22 mRNA vaccine projects under BARDA. While we believe that the mRNA shots on the market are unsafe and should be off the market, this is a welcome step in the right direction. The pandemic preparedness industry as it exists today is a threat to human welfare."
Before becoming HHS secretary, Kennedy said he would not ban vaccines, telling NBC News in November 2024 that "if vaccines are working for somebody, I'm not going to take them away."
"People ought to have choice and ought to be informed by the best information, so I'm going to make sure that scientific safety studies and efficacies are out there and people can make individual assessments about whether that product is going to be good for them."
What Happens Next
Health policy experts have warned that the effects of the funding termination could deepen if other nations follow the U.S. lead, or if private investment in rapid vaccine development wanes. Researchers cautioned about reduced national readiness for pandemics, with the risk heightened by the ongoing spread of bird flu among livestock and potential biosecurity threats.
The full repercussions of the move will likely become clear as the U.S. confronts the next wave of infectious disease threats, and as regulatory, medical, and scientific communities grapple with the loss of federal investment and the uncertainty it brings.
Update 7/8/25, 9:51 a.m. ET: This story has been updated with comment from Dr. Thomas A. Russo.
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