Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. addressed a conference of the group Children’s Health Defense on Thursday, September 17, 2026. Speaking to several hundred attendees, Kennedy stated that the organization has a "strong and steadfast friend" in the White House under President Donald Trump. Kennedy previously chaired and served as chief legal counsel for the group before taking leave to launch a presidential campaign in 2023 and subsequently joining the Trump administration as health secretary last year.
The speech served as a platform for Kennedy to highlight the administration's efforts over the past 19 months to scale back public health guidance. During his remarks, Kennedy questioned established vaccine safety and cited moves to downsize the childhood vaccination schedule and reshape a key vaccine advisory board. While some of these steps have been halted by a judge, Kennedy also noted a recent executive order from last month that called for spacing out the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine.
The administration’s shift toward vaccine policy comes amid a public health situation involving the highest number of measles cases since 1991. According to reported data, there have been seven measles-associated deaths in the last two years, which exceeds the combined total of the previous three decades. In Pennsylvania, state health officials reported four measles-associated deaths this year, noting that none of the deceased individuals were vaccinated. Following Kennedy’s address, the conference featured Andrew Wakefield, whose retracted study linking the MMR vaccine to autism has been discredited by scientific consensus.
The scale of the impact is reflected in recent health outcomes, particularly the four reported deaths in Pennsylvania and the broader national measles outbreak, the most severe since 1991. For the average household, these policy changes manifest as revised guidance from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regarding childhood wellness visits. The administration had previously indicated a focus on healthy food initiatives ahead of the November midterm elections, but Kennedy’s appearance and the recent executive order signify a renewed focus on changing vaccine protocols.
The next steps for these policies depend on ongoing legal and political developments. While a judge has already halted some attempts to reshape vaccine advisory boards and schedules, the executive order regarding MMR spacing remains a point of contention. Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) criticized the HHS secretary for not using his platform to encourage measles vaccinations during the current outbreak, while the group 314 Action called for Kennedy to step down. The White House has not yet issued a formal comment on the speech.