STAT+: Vaccine policy threatens to put Kennedy at odds with Trump
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WASHINGTON \u2014 Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.\u2019s aggressive moves to change U.S. vaccine policy \u2014 adopted by leaders at other federal health agencies \u2014 may be putting him at odds with President Trump himself.<\/p>\n
Now Kennedy\u2019s allies are rallying to support him, believing the coming weeks and months will be key to their efforts toward cementing the Make America Healthy Again agenda in Washington.<\/p>\n
The latest flareup centers on vaccine mandates. On Friday, asked about plans by Florida state officials to phase out all childhood vaccine mandates<\/a> there, Trump struck a note of caution.<\/p>\n \u201cI think we have to be very careful,\u201d he told reporters in the Oval Office.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cLook, you have vaccines that work. They \u2014 pure and simple \u2014 work,\u201d he added, differentiating between vaccines he deems \u201ccontroversial\u201d and those that aren\u2019t. \u201cThey are not controversial at all. And I think those vaccines should be used; otherwise, some people are going to catch it and they are going to endanger other people.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Kennedy has not yet weighed in specifically on the Florida move but he has a long history of opposing vaccine mandates. His administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Mehmet Oz, had praised the recent announcement by Florida\u2019s surgeon general, telling MAHA supporters on a call that the effort had only been made possible via \u201cair cover\u201d by Kennedy.\u00a0<\/p>\n Continue to STAT+ to read the full story\u2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n