Supporters of a nontraditional medical freedom movement who’ve placed their faith in Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are frustrated he hasn’t done more to push their agenda.
But people close to Kennedy have been telling them to be patient. They say he is committed to the aims of the Make America Healthy Again movement but must prioritize President Donald Trump’s goals, according to four people close to Kennedy who asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
An immediate task for Kennedy is leading a newly created MAHA commission to study causes of chronic disease, with the aim of reducing rates of cancer, autoimmune disorders, and other ongoing health issues. Trump has told Kennedy he wants to see measurable success in 12 to 18 months, according to one of the people.
Meanwhile, many supporters of the MAHA agenda want Kennedy to prioritize other goals such as halting mRNA vaccines, getting fluoride out of water, permitting interstate sales of raw milk, and stopping pharmaceutical ads on television.
Kennedy has tapped a vaccine opponent to study possible connections between autism and vaccines — whose existence is a core belief of some MAHA adherents, though it has been debunked. In fact, HHS has launched an effort that Kennedy said will determine by September what has caused the “autism epidemic.” Many autism researchers say this timeline sows doubts about the study’s seriousness.
But Kennedy is otherwise occupied with crises such as an escalating measles outbreak and bird flu, and he’s hampered because key staff positions are still being filled, the people said. Federal health agencies are also in turmoil because the Trump administration is cutting 20,000 total full-time jobs at HHS and its divisions such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and FDA.
Kennedy is working on weekends and leaning on a loose group of informal advisers and friends, the people said. He’ll sometimes call them for input as he dashes between meetings. The circle includes nontraditional doctors, fellow vaccine opponents, media personalities, and self-appointed health gurus. Some have gained unprecedented influence and access to the innermost workings of federal health agencies.
HHS spokespeople didn’t respond to emails seeking comment.
The coming months will test Kennedy’s ability to juggle the challenges and achieve Trump’s goals without losing the support of MAHA adherents, especially special interest and advocacy groups that helped him reach his influential perch overseeing one of the nation’s largest federal agencies.
His alliance with Trump is new. When Kennedy was running for president in 2024, Trump took to his Truth Social platform to say, “Kennedy is a Radical Left Democrat, and always will be!!!” — though Trump’s administration includes other onetime adversaries such as Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
We’d like to speak with current and former personnel from the Department of Health and Human Services or its component agencies who believe the public should understand the impact of what’s happening within the federal health bureaucracy. Please message KFF Health News on Signal at (415) 519-8778 or get in touch here.
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Supporters of a nontraditional medical freedom movement who’ve placed their faith in Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are frustrated he hasn’t done more to push their agenda. But people close to Kennedy have been telling them to be patient. They say he is committed to the aims of the Make America Healthy Again movement but must prioritize President Donald Trump’s goals, according to four people close to Kennedy who asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to speak to the media. An immediate task for Kennedy is leading a newly created MAHA commission to study causes of chronic disease, with the aim of reducing rates of cancer, autoimmune disorders, and other ongoing health issues. Trump has told Kennedy he wants to see measurable success in 12 to 18 months, according to one of the people. Meanwhile, many supporters of the MAHA agenda want Kennedy to prioritize other goals such as halting mRNA vaccines, getting fluoride out of water, permitting interstate sales of raw milk, and stopping pharmaceutical ads on television. Kennedy has tapped a vaccine opponent to study possible connections between autism and vaccines — whose existence is a core belief of some MAHA adherents, though it has been debunked. In fact, HHS has launched an effort that Kennedy said will determine by September what has caused the “autism epidemic.” Many autism researchers say this timeline sows doubts about the study’s seriousness. But Kennedy is otherwise occupied with crises such as an escalating measles outbreak and bird flu, and he’s hampered because key staff positions are still being filled, the people said. Federal health agencies are also in turmoil because the Trump administration is cutting 20,000 total full-time jobs at HHS and its divisions such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and FDA. Kennedy is working on weekends and leaning on a loose group of informal advisers and friends, the people said. He’ll sometimes call them for input as he dashes between meetings. The circle includes nontraditional doctors, fellow vaccine opponents, media personalities, and self-appointed health gurus. Some have gained unprecedented influence and access to the innermost workings of federal health agencies. HHS spokespeople didn’t respond to emails seeking comment. The coming months will test Kennedy’s ability to juggle the challenges and achieve Trump’s goals without losing the support of MAHA adherents, especially special interest and advocacy groups that helped him reach his influential perch overseeing one of the nation’s largest federal agencies. His alliance with Trump is new. When Kennedy was running for president in 2024, Trump took to his Truth Social platform to say, “Kennedy is a Radical Left Democrat, and always will be!!!” — though Trump’s administration includes other onetime adversaries such as Secretary of State Marco Rubio. We’d like to speak with current and former personnel from the Department of Health and Human Services or its component agencies who believe the public should understand the impact of what’s happening within the federal health bureaucracy. Please message KFF Health News on Signal at (415) 519-8778 or get in touch here. We encourage organizations to republish our content, free of charge. Here’s what we ask: You must credit us as the original publisher, with a hyperlink to our kffhealthnews.org site. If possible, please include the original author(s) and KFF Health News” in the byline. Please preserve the hyperlinks in the story. It’s important to note, not everything on kffhealthnews.org is available for republishing. If a story is labeled “All Rights Reserved,” we cannot grant permission to republish that item. Have questions? Let us know at KHNHelp@kff.org
