What RFK Jr. Has Actually Done
Since taking over HHS in February 2025, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has fired thousands of CDC, NIH, and FDA employees. NIH alone lost $500 million in mRNA vaccine research contracts. The SSA is at a 60-year staffing low.
He dismissed all 17 members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and replaced them with his own picks. A federal court later found 15 Kennedy appointees on the committee, only 6 with meaningful vaccine expertise. In March 2026, a federal judge ruled the replacements illegal and paused the committee’s work.
House Energy and Commerce Committee Democrats say FDA scientists were coerced into withdrawing two studies that demonstrated COVID-19 vaccine safety.
The Medicaid Hit
$911 billion in Medicaid cuts over a decade — 10 million more people uninsured
The reconciliation law signed July 4, 2025, cuts an estimated $911 billion in federal Medicaid spending over a decade. The CBO projects 10 million more uninsured people. The enhanced FMAP for Medicaid expansion states sunsets January 1, 2026. Work requirements of 80 hours per month kick in January 2027.
- July 4, 2025: Reconciliation law signed, $911 billion in Medicaid cuts enacted.
- January 1, 2026: Enhanced FMAP for expansion states sunsets. States absorb more cost or cut coverage.
- January 2027: Work requirements of 80 hours per month kick in for Medicaid recipients.
States hit hardest: Louisiana, Illinois, Nevada, and Oregon face 19% or greater cuts. Rural states like Kentucky face up to $11 billion in rural Medicaid cuts over ten years. Read more on our Healthcare hub.
What You Can Do
- Send the HHS oversight letter on Resistbot asking Congress to hold Kennedy accountable.
- Call your senators and ask them to support the court ruling blocking ACIP changes. Ask whether they will demand compliance.
- Share this with a nurse, doctor, or public health worker in your life. They are watching this happen in real time and need people backing them up.