Now that Kennedy has moved on to politics, stepping down from his role at Children's Health Defense (CHD) and joining the Trump administration, CHD has not let go of the issue. Ray Flores, senior outside counsel to CHD, filed the lawsuit, which is being funded by CHD. In it, Flores notes that on March 15, 2025, he sent Kennedy a 60-day notice about the task force issue, and Kennedy did not respond. Overall, the lawsuit contains anti-vaccine talking points and false claims, such as that childhood vaccines have not gone through safety testing (they have). Flores justifies the lawsuit saying that, without the task force, he "and his family can’t make informed decisions in light of the onslaught of current and seemingly never-ending outbreaks." In a social media post from CHD on Tuesday, Flores criticized Kennedy directly. "Why is he not dealing with vaccines? This is not the Bobby we know," he said in the posted video. "Is he being held captive in the swamp? And it kind of feels that way sometimes, doesn't it?" It remains unclear why Kennedy has not set up the task force. HHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Ars Technica. Otherwise, Kennedy has not shied from unilaterally rolling back access to vaccines and continuing to spread anti-vaccine misinformation as the country's top health official. His hand-selected vaccine advisory committee has already announced its intention to question the entire childhood vaccine schedule. Potential explanations However, there is one clear detail that could potentially explain Kennedy's delay. The 1986 law that sets up the task force is specific about who should be on it. The task force "shall consist of the Director of the National Institutes of Health, the Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, and the Director of the Centers for Disease Control [and Prevention]," the law reads. Currently, the CDC has no director.
First seen: 2025-07-24 17:02
Last seen: 2025-07-25 15:07