Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Health and Human Services Secretary, is leading a new initiative to investigate the causes of autism, but the rush and timing of this research have raised concerns among health experts.
According to MSNBC, the investigation comes as Kennedy and his former organization, Children’s Health Defense, have been targeting aluminum-containing vaccines, despite his long history of promoting debunked vaccine-autism theories. Kennedy served as chair of this anti-vaccine organization from 2015 to 2023.
At the annual Autism Health Summit, Kennedy announced plans to discover the cause of autism by September, allocating $50 million for a competition of grant proposals due June 27, with work starting as early as September 1.
Database analysis raises questions about research quality and potential conflicts
The tight timeline means researchers will likely analyze existing health records rather than collect new data, part of Kennedy’s broader controversial approach to autism research. Two people reportedly involved in setting up this database are NIH Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya and David Geier, both of whom have faced criticism over their research practices.
Reality check for admirers of RFK Jr. https://t.co/53IhgHOb0D
— Holli Semetko (@HolliSemetko) July 28, 2025
The findings could influence the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, potentially affecting how vaccines are viewed by health authorities. Senator Elizabeth Warren has warned that Kennedy could make changes that might enrich him through vaccine-related lawsuits.
The initiative comes despite recent research from Denmark’s Statens Serum Institut, which studied over 1.2 million Danish children and found no link between aluminum in vaccines and 50 chronic diseases, including autism.
If successful in linking aluminum to autism, vaccine injury lawyers could profit significantly. These lawyers typically keep 33% to 40% of patient awards when they win cases. The health department has recently hired a law firm specializing in the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act, raising concerns about potential changes to how vaccine injury claims are handled.
