Debunked Claims, Real Fears: RFK Jr.'s HHS Tenure Sparks Fears of a Backslide on Autism Science and Support

 

By Santa Clarita Star Staff

05/4/2025 at 9:00 PM

 

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s tenure as HHS Secretary sparked alarm for promoting scientifically debunked theories linking vaccines and environmental toxins to autism, drawing condemnation from scientists and advocates. 1 These actions, coupled with questionable research initiatives and potential cuts to vital support programs like Medicaid, raised significant concerns for regions heavily reliant on such services, including Los Angeles County and Santa Clarita.

 

 

LOS ANGELES (AP) — In November 2024, soon after Trump was reelected President, he declared that he would let Robert F Kennedy Jr. to "go wild" on the Department of Health and Human Services. In just a brief few months since Robert F. Kennedy's appointment as Secretary of HHS, beginning in early 2025, a wave of controversy unleashed, centered on his long-held, scientifically disputed views on Autism, sparking alarm among scientists, public health officials, and disability advocates nationwide, with significant implications for regions like Los Angeles County and the Santa Clarita Valley.

 

Kennedy's leadership over critical agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) was immediately contentious due to his history of promoting misinformation, primarily the debunked link between childhood vaccines and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), according to analysis drawn from news reports, advocacy group statements, and scientific literature summaries provided in a recent analytical report.

 

"Autism destroys families," Kennedy said at a press conference on April 16, 2025. "More more importantly it destroys our greatest resource, which is our children."

 

Kennedy then claimed that autism was caused by unspecified "environmental toxins," a claim clashing with established scientific understanding of Autism's complex origins and the reasons behind increased diagnosis rates. His rhetoric, often describing Autism in terms deemed stigmatizing by the community, fueled backlash.  

 

A History of Disputed Claims

Kennedy’s public association with the vaccine-autism theory stretches back nearly two decades, notably amplified by a 2005 article, later corrected or retracted, that inaccurately linked the vaccine preservative thimerosal to Autism, the report states. Despite overwhelming scientific evidence refuting this connection, Kennedy remained steadfast.

 

During his January 2025 Senate confirmation hearings, Kennedy resisted stating unequivocally that vaccines do not cause Autism, even when confronted with scientific data by lawmakers like physician Sen. Bill Cassidy. Instead, the report notes that he referenced flawed research while dismissing large-scale studies that showed no link, suggesting a position shaped more by advocacy than objective science.  

 

His organization, Children's Health Defense (CHD), which he chaired shortly before his HHS appointment, served as a major platform for anti-vaccine narratives, linking vaccines to various health issues. The report highlights CHD's role in amplifying misinformation, including an incident in early 2025 involving a fake website mimicking the CDC's vaccine safety page, hosted on a domain linked to CHD, which presented misleading information about vaccine harm and Autism before being taken down at Kennedy’s direction.  

 

The Scientific Consensus and Public Health Impact

The global scientific and medical communities stood in stark contrast to Kennedy's position. Decades of extensive research involving millions of children have conclusively shown no causal link between vaccines, including the MMR vaccine or those containing thimerosal, and Autism, the report emphasizes, citing alignment from major groups like Autism Speaks and the Autism Society of America. The original 1998 study suggesting a link was retracted as fraudulent.

 

Experts argue that the persistence of this myth, fueled by figures like Kennedy, has tangible consequences for public health. It contributed to vaccine hesitancy, undermining herd immunity and leading to outbreaks of preventable diseases like measles, which saw resurgences during Kennedy’s rise in public prominence. The report mentions Kennedy and his organization were implicated in worsening a deadly measles outbreak in Samoa through anti-vaccine campaigns.  

 

Furthermore, the focus on debunked theories diverts resources and attention from legitimate autism research and the development of crucial support services for autistic individuals and families, the report argues, citing concerns raised during Kennedy’s confirmation hearings.  

 

The 'Environmental Toxin' Narrative and HHS Initiatives

As HHS Secretary, Kennedy pivoted to declaring an "autism epidemic," citing recent CDC data showing a prevalence of 1 in 31 eight-year-olds diagnosed with ASD in 2022. He characterized this as a crisis "a thousand times more threatening to our country than COVID-19," according to the report. He attributed this rise almost entirely to unidentified "environmental toxins," suggesting researchers should seek a ubiquitous toxin introduced around 1989 – a timeframe coincidentally aligning with the recommendation for a second MMR dose.  

 

Kennedy explicitly dismissed mainstream explanations for rising prevalence: improved screening (particularly noted in states like California), increased awareness, broader diagnostic criteria, and reduced stigma.  

 

The scientific community views ASD as a complex neurodevelopmental condition arising from an interplay of substantial genetic influences and potential environmental risk factors like parental age, prenatal exposures, maternal health conditions, and perinatal factors – not a single environmental cause, the report clarifies. The rise in diagnoses is largely attributed to better detection and changing criteria, not a sudden environmentally driven surge.  

 

Kennedy's language also drew fire. His descriptions of Autism as an "epidemic" and a "tragedy" that "destroys families" were condemned by advocates. His specific claims that autistic individuals "will never pay taxes, they'll never hold a job... Many of them will never use a toilet unassisted" provoked outrage for painting an inaccurate, monolithic, and negative picture, ignoring the diversity and capabilities within the autism spectrum. Actress Holly Robinson Peete, whose son is autistic and works for the LA Dodgers, called the claims "inherently false" and "triggering," particularly the focus on employment and taxes, and the assertion that autism "destroys families," People.com reported, cited in the analysis.  

 

Kennedy later attempted to clarify his remarks referred to individuals with "profound autism," but advocates argued this employed outdated "functioning labels" and still misrepresented capabilities, reinforcing harmful stereotypes.

 

Under Kennedy, HHS launched controversial initiatives. In April 2025, NIH Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya announced plans to amass vast amounts of private medical data from federal, commercial, and potentially consumer device sources for research. Initial reports of a "new disease registry" for Autism sparked immediate privacy alarms from groups like the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN). HHS quickly rebranded it as a "real-world data platform" to link existing datasets, but concerns about privacy, security, and governance persisted.  

 

Kennedy also pledged a "massive testing and research effort" to find Autism's cause by September 2025, a timeline scientists and advocates called unrealistic and misleading. The deadline was later softened, with NIH aiming to award $50 million in grants by September.  

 

Most alarmingly for critics, HHS reportedly hired David Geier to help lead the initiative. Geier, who lacks a medical license and formal scientific training, has a history of promoting the vaccine-autism link through flawed research and was disciplined in Maryland for practicing medicine without a license, the report details. He and his father, whose medical license was revoked, also promoted dangerous, unproven treatments like Lupron based on scientifically baseless theories, using a "sham" review board. His hiring prompted immediate condemnation. Sen. Maggie Hassan called him a "fraudster" and demanded his termination. ASAN stated the hiring signaled an intent to "rig" the research. House Democrats launched an investigation.  

 

National Backlash and Broader Threats

Leading national autism organizations like the Autism Society of America and ASAN issued strong critiques, condemning Kennedy's harmful rhetoric, promotion of misinformation, unrealistic research goals, lack of transparency, and the hiring of Geier. They called for prioritizing evidence-based policies, research focused on quality of life and support services, and the meaningful inclusion of autistic voices.  

 

Kennedy faced significant political scrutiny. Senators challenged his vaccine views during confirmation hearings. Sen. Hassan condemned his stigmatizing language and Geier's hiring. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks questioned past remarks suggesting different vaccine needs based on race, which experts termed "scientific racism," according to the report. The NAACP opposed his nomination, citing public health concerns.  

 

Simultaneously, broader Trump administration policies threatened support systems. House Republicans advanced budget proposals aiming for deep spending cuts, directing committees overseeing Medicaid to find hundreds of billions in savings. Health policy experts warned this would inevitably require major cuts to Medicaid, a vital funding source for healthcare and critical disability services like Home- and Community-Based Services (HCBS) waivers, early intervention, and specialized therapies, often accessed in California via Regional Centers. Kennedy’s administration voiced support for these cuts.  

 

Furthermore, in March 2025, HHS announced plans to dismantle the Administration for Community Living (ACL), the federal hub for aging and disability services created in 2012. Hundreds of advocacy groups protested, arguing eliminating ACL would fragment services, undermine community living efforts, and harm older adults and people with disabilities, including autistic individuals who rely on ACL-supported programs like independent living centers and developmental disabilities councils.  

 

Local Focus: Los Angeles County and Santa Clarita

California, particularly Los Angeles County, is a critical area in autism discussions due to high reported prevalence rates. Kennedy himself cited a rate among California boys of 1 in 12.5, compared to the national average of 1 in 20 from 2022 CDC data. Other reports mentioned an overall California rate of about 1 in 22 (4.5%) in 2020 versus 2.8% nationally. The Santa Clarita Valley Signal reported the 1 in 31 national figure from the 2025 CDC update.  

 

While experts attribute California's higher rates partly to robust screening and awareness initiatives, this high prevalence highlights the region’s dependence on federally funded support systems, primarily Medi-Cal (California's Medicaid). Medi-Cal funds are crucial for the state's Regional Centers, which coordinate autism services, and programs like In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS), serving nearly 700,000 recipients statewide in fiscal year 2024-25.

 

Reactions to Kennedy's policies resonated locally. The Los Angeles Times featured commentary from columnist Michael Hiltzik describing Kennedy's views as "anti-science myths." NBC Los Angeles covered condemnation from figures like reality TV star Brittany Cartwright. The Los Angeles LGBT Center opposed Kennedy's confirmation, citing a "dire threat to LGBTQ+ health" and the public health system. The Los Angeles NAACP branch also voiced opposition.  

 

Potential national policy shifts loom large over Los Angeles County and Santa Clarita. Proposed Medicaid cuts threaten Medi-Cal funding, potentially devastating Regional Center services, HCBS waivers, and IHSS, impacting respite care, supported living, therapies, and job coaching. Advocates cited in the report warned cuts could increase hardship, homelessness, and institutionalization.

 

The dismantling of ACL could disrupt local programs in LA County relying on its funding and coordination for independent living, caregiver support, and nutrition programs, weakening the infrastructure supporting community integration for autistic adults.  

 

Moreover, the persistent promotion of vaccine misinformation from the nation's former top health official could fuel vaccine hesitancy in LA County communities, potentially jeopardizing public health gains in a state with a history of vaccine debates and measles outbreaks.  

 

Conclusion: A Clash Over Science and Support

Kennedy’s HHS leadership was defined by a clash between his long-standing promotion of scientifically unsupported autism theories and the established consensus of the scientific and Autism advocacy communities. His actions—from controversial research initiatives and appointments to stigmatizing rhetoric—combined with broader threats to essential support systems like Medicaid and the ACL, created deep concern, particularly in high-prevalence areas like Los Angeles County which is heavily reliant on those federal supports. The situation underscored the critical need for evidence-based policy, ethical research practices, respectful language, and the centering of autistic voices in shaping the future of autism support and public health.