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Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Wednesday he would “probably” vaccinate his children against measles if they were young today — but cautioned Americans not to view him as a source of medical guidance.
Kennedy made the remarks during a House Appropriations Committee hearing, responding to a question from Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) about his personal stance on the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine amid a worsening outbreak.
“My opinions about vaccines are irrelevant,” Kennedy said. “I don’t want to seem like I’m being evasive, but I don’t think people should be taking medical advice from me.”
When pressed further about his views on chickenpox and polio vaccines, Kennedy declined to answer directly, stating that HHS aims to “lay out the pros and cons, the risks and benefits” through “replicable studies,” rather than issue mandates.
Pocan noted that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — a key HHS agency — does provide health guidance. Kennedy acknowledged the CDC’s role but did not elaborate on specific vaccine recommendations.
The comments came as measles cases in the U.S. topped 1,000, with at least 709 cases in Texas alone. A West Texas outbreak has claimed the lives of two unvaccinated children, according to state health officials.
Nearly all infections in the outbreak involve individuals who were either unvaccinated or had unknown vaccination status. Health experts continue to emphasize that the MMR vaccine is safe, effective, and critical to public health.
Kennedy, who has long attracted criticism for spreading vaccine skepticism, acknowledged the efficacy of the measles vaccine in an exclusive CBS News interview last month — the first time he publicly endorsed it since becoming HHS Secretary.
“The federal government’s position, my position, is that people should get the measles vaccine,” he told CBS News. “But the government should not be mandating those.”
Kennedy has a controversial history regarding vaccines, often questioning their safety despite overwhelming scientific consensus that vaccines have prevented millions of deaths and eradicated or reduced the spread of diseases like polio and measles.
His recent shift in tone — urging Americans to get vaccinated while opposing mandates — may reflect the mounting political and public health pressure as the measles outbreak intensifies nationwide.
Kennedy also testified before a Senate panel on Wednesday, where vaccine policy was again a point of scrutiny.
