Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Wednesday said he would “probably” vaccinate his own child for measles, but also advised people not to take medical advice from him.
As he testified on the HHS’ fiscal year 2026 budget request before the House Appropriations Committee, the nation’s highest-ranking health official, who has a long history of railing against vaccines, was pressed on the measles vaccine:
“If you had a child today, would you vaccinate that child for measles?” Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) asked RFK Jr.
“Probably for measles,” he responded. “But I don’t think people should be taking advice, medical advice, from me.”
“But that’s kind of your jurisdiction because CDC does give advice, right?” Pocan said. The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention is under the wing of HHS.
“I think what we're going to try to do is to lay out the pros and cons, the risks and benefits, accurately, as we understand them, with replicable studies,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy then declined to say whether he would vaccinate his own child against chickenpox or polio — two other long-running and tested vaccines.
The vaccine-skeptic’s comments come as the United States has seen more than 1,000 confirmed measles cases this year, the second-highest tally in 25 years. For his response, Kennedy initially underplayed the severity of the outbreak and has promoted unproven treatments, such as using Vitamin A to fight the disease.
