RFK Jr. targets vaccine makers' federal liability protections
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HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on June 24 2025 in Washington, D.C. Photo: Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took aim Monday at vaccine makers' federal liability protections.
The big picture: Kennedy, who has repeatedly pushed the debunked idea that vaccines cause autism and in the past was involved in litigation over patient injury claims, has argued in the past that the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) takes away manufacturers' incentive to make vaccines safe.
Zoom in: Kennedy is proposing an overhaul to the VICP, which was established by law in 1986 in response to the threat of vaccine lawsuits leading to shortages.
- It's essentially an alternative legal system for resolving vaccine injury cases. Successful plaintiffs win money from the U.S. government, not vaccine manufacturers.
- Kennedy argued in a lengthy post on X Monday that the VICP "routinely dismisses meritorious cases" or drags them out.
What he's saying: "The VICP no longer functions to achieve its Congressional intent," Kennedy wrote.
- "Instead, the VICP has devolved into a morass of inefficiency, favoritism, and outright corruption," he alleged, taking aim at the vaccine court judges.
- "I will not allow the VICP to continue to ignore its mandate and fail its mission of quickly and fairly compensating vaccine-injured individuals," Kennedy said.
Between the lines: Weakening or removing liability protections for certain vaccines could be the thing that makes manufacturers contemplate leaving the market, experts say — or at least causes them to significantly raise prices, Axios' Caitlin Owens reports.
Flashback: During the confirmation process, Kennedy was asked what changes he was considering making to the VICP and avoided addressing the issue directly in his written response to senators.
- "I will do nothing as HHS secretary that makes it difficult or discourages people from taking vaccines. As I testified to the Committee, I am not anti-vaccination. I support transparency and sound data for vaccines," he wrote.
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