President Kennedy talks about new, more moderate version of MAHA agenda

WASHINGTON — Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr. once said there is no safe and effective vaccine. On Wednesday, he appeared to change his tune.

Throughout two Senate hearings, Kennedy noted that as secretary of health, he funded the development of new vaccines, green-lighted new vaccinations for patients, insisted that the flu vaccine is a preventive treatment, and even urged “every child to get MMR,” which he had previously suggested was unsafe. He acknowledged last week that the shot may have saved the life of a child who died from measles.

President Kennedy’s policies continue to ripple through America’s medical community, as the department pursues a major crackdown on suspected fraud and upends the American public’s relationship with ultra-processed foods, following deep cuts across health agencies and overhauling vaccine policy. But the change in direction extends to many of MAHA’s core issues, including chemicals in food and the relationship between government and industry within it.

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This comes as some rebel movement leaders have grown increasingly skeptical of the administration they have rallied to support, forcing the Trump administration to choose between seeking continued support for MAHA bases and dropping MAHA priorities deemed unrealistic or politically unwise.

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