Without providing further context, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says that Gavi needs to “start taking vaccine safety seriously” by considering “the best science available.”
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has stopped all U.S. funding for the global vaccine alliance Gavi, alleging that the organization downplayed safety concerns of vaccines that it was distributing to poor communities worldwide.
“When the science was inconvenient, Gavi ignored the science,” Kennedy alleged in a video statement presented at a Gavi summit, according to reporting from Politico, which first broke the news of the funding withdrawal on Wednesday. “I call on Gavi today to re-earn the public trust and to justify the $8 billion that America has provided in funding since 2001.”
Gavi needs to “start taking vaccine safety seriously,” Kennedy added. “Consider the best science available, even when the science contradicts established paradigms. Until that happens, the United States won’t contribute more to Gavi.”
In its own statement, Gavi responded to Kennedy’s accusations by emphasizing that its vaccination programs are aligned with recommendations from the World Health Organization, which convenes a panel of independent immunization experts that review available data, “including any studies that raised concerns.”
“Gavi fully concurs with the Secretary for Health and Human Services on the need to consider all available science, and remains committed to continuing an evidence-based and scientific approach to its work and investment decisions, as it always has done,” the statement read.
Gavi, formerly known as the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, is a public-private organization that distributes vaccines in poorer and more isolated nations, relying on funding from donor governments and private entities. According to Gavi’s documents for the year ending 2024, the U.S. was its largest donor at about $5 billion, comprising about a quarter of the organization’s total proceeds. The U.S.’ donations nearly doubled the next biggest donor, the United Kingdom, which contributed about $2.5 billion.
Kennedy has a long and documented history of vaccine opposition. He is a founder of the nonprofit organization Children’s Health Defense, which on its website says that its goal is to end “childhood epidemics by eliminating toxic exposure”—claiming vaccines to be among them. The group continues to state that vaccines cause autism, a link that has been repeatedly debunked by the scientific literature.
Even after assuming leadership of the HHS, Kennedy has continued to speak out against vaccines, homing in on toxicity concerns with measles vaccines, which have long been established as safe and effective. Kennedy in April announced a “massive testing and research effort” from the HHS to identify the root cause of autism by September—despite research largely attributing autism to genetics, and the recent spike in diagnoses to increased awareness and monitoring.
Aside from Gavi, the U.S. under the second Trump administration has pulled support from several international bodies, including the World Health Organization and various UN agencies such as the Human Rights Council and UNESCO. Trump has also withdrawn funding from and all but dissolved the United States Agency for International Development.
