Trump's Ex-Surgeon General Attacks Vaccine Cuts: 'People Are Going To Die'
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President Donald Trump's former Surgeon General Jerome Adams has warned that "people are going to die" if the United States cuts funding for mRNA vaccine development.
It comes after Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced last week that his department would terminate 22 Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) investments in mRNA vaccine development, representing nearly $500 million in federal funding.
He said the decision was taken after reviews showed mRNA vaccines "failed protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like COVID and flu."
Newsweek contacted the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for comment via email outside of regular working hours.
Former Surgeon General Jerome Adams speaking at the White House in April 2020.
Former Surgeon General Jerome Adams speaking at the White House in April 2020.
AP
Why It Matters
Kennedy has been a longtime vaccine critic, and questioned their effectiveness on numerous occasions. His tenure as the head of HHS has seen top vaccine experts, food safety supervisors and other public-health officials either resign or be ousted.
The 22 projects are led by major pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer and Moderna, and aim to develop vaccines against the flu, COVID-19 and H5N1. mRNA technology, which underpins these vaccines, is widely credited with helping slow the spread of the coronavirus during the 2020 pandemic.
Infectious-disease specialists have also warned that future pandemics will be harder to stop without the help of mRNA.
What To Know
Adams, who served in Trump's first administration, said in an interview with CBS News on Sunday that mRNA technology accelerated vaccine development by an estimated 18 to 24 months. He added that "by the most conservative estimates, at least 2 million lives were saved" during the pandemic because of mRNA vaccines.
"It's a natural molecule that's in all of our bodies. It's like a recipe card that tells your body how to make a protein," he said. "And this new idea, again, helps us develop vaccines and new treatments for everything from cancer, melanoma - which my wife has - to HIV, to better flu vaccines."
He added: "These are advances that are not going to happen now... people are going to die because we're cutting short funding for this technology."
Several other infectious disease experts have also spoken out against Kennedy's decision. Rick Bright, the former director of BARDA, said on X: "A bad day for science, and huge blow to our national security. This decision will have dangerous repercussions."
Dr. Thomas A. Russo, an expert in infectious diseases, told Newsweek that Kennedy's decision was "shortsighted," and said mRNA vaccines "will be critical when the next, inevitable infectious diseases crisis rears its ugly head."
What People Are Saying
RFK Jr. said on X last week: "We reviewed the science, listened to the experts, and acted. BARDA is terminating 22 mRNA vaccine development investments because the data show these vaccines fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like COVID and flu."
Infectious diseases expert Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, who specializes in pandemic preparedness, told Newsweek: "RFK's actions are completely devoid of value. They are only designed to serve more distrust of a proven and valuable vaccine technology. The repercussions of this decision will serve only to diminish the resiliency of the United States, and the world, to infectious disease threats."
What Happens Next
In his statement, Kennedy urged the department to shift from mRNA vaccines and "invest in better solutions," but did not specify alternatives.
Lawmakers, public-health officials, and industry leaders are expected to press HHS for detailed timelines and alternative research investments options.
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