RFK Jr. Says He Would ‘Probably’ Vaccinate His Child for Measles

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., now serving as Secretary of Health and Human Services, sparked fresh controversy this week after offering a vague and cautious stance on childhood vaccines during a tense budget hearing on Capitol Hill.

Testifying before Congress, Kennedy told Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) that he would “probably” vaccinate a child for measles if he had one today — but immediately walked it back, insisting he didn’t want to sound like he was “giving advice.”

“I think if I answer that question directly,” Kennedy said, “it will seem like I’m giving advice to other people, and I don’t want to be doing that.”

The response raised eyebrows, especially considering Kennedy’s long and polarizing history with vaccine misinformation. For years, he amplified debunked claims linking vaccines to autism and openly aligned with the anti-vaccine movement — only to more recently claim that he and his own children are vaccinated.

“So what is it then?” Pocan pressed. “Your department is supposed to give advice. That’s literally your job.”

But Kennedy wouldn’t budge. “Our role is to lay out the pros and cons, the risks and benefits, accurately, as we understand them,” he replied. “Then people can make their own decisions.”

The exchange didn’t stop there. When asked about vaccines for polio and chickenpox — both virtually eradicated in the U.S. thanks to decades of immunization efforts — Kennedy once again deflected. “I don’t want to give advice,” he repeated.

For a man now tasked with overseeing the nation’s public health, Kennedy’s refusal to plainly endorse vaccines has set off alarms among doctors, scientists, and Democratic leaders who have long battled vaccine misinformation.

“Let’s be clear,” said Dr. Leila Shah, a pediatric infectious disease specialist based in Boston. “This is not a personal opinion moment. The Secretary of Health should be unequivocal about supporting life-saving science — especially when preventable diseases are making a comeback.”

Kennedy’s past is riddled with dangerous messaging. He has publicly suggested that vaccine schedules are unsafe, downplayed COVID-19 risks, and leaned into conspiracy theories about pharmaceutical companies. He has also falsely claimed that vaccines cause autism — a theory thoroughly discredited by the scientific community.

Though Kennedy has tried to rebrand himself as a more “balanced” voice on public health in recent years, his latest appearance suggests the same evasiveness that’s defined much of his rhetoric.

“The public needs leadership that’s rooted in facts,” Rep. Pocan told reporters after the hearing. “This isn’t the time for ‘probably’ — it’s the time for certainty. Lives are on the line.”

Despite holding the top health post in the country, Kennedy seems more interested in distancing himself from responsibility than offering clarity — especially on a subject where the stakes couldn’t be higher.