RFK Jr. halts U.S. funding for Gavi over vaccine safety concerns

• The U.S. will halt funding to Gavi until it implements strict vaccine safety reforms, citing negligence in addressing risks like those linked to the DTP vaccine.
• Kennedy criticized Gavi for prioritizing universal vaccination over independent safety reviews, aligning with growing skepticism of pharmaceutical influence.
• Critics warn the funding cut could harm global health, but Kennedy argues poor nations deserve safety-first healthcare, not corporate-driven solutions.
• Gavi’s response emphasized “evidence-based” decisions, but past actions, including silencing vaccine critics, raise doubts about its transparency.
• Kennedy’s newly formed advisory panel will reassess CDC vaccine schedules, signaling a shift away from Big Pharma-aligned policies.

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced this week that the United States will withdraw financial support from Gavi, the global vaccine alliance, until the organization rigorously addresses vaccine safety concerns. The decision, delivered during a Gavi pledging summit in Brussels, marks a watershed moment in the debate over mass vaccination campaigns and informed consent.

The U.S. has contributed approximately $8 billion to Gavi since 2001, making it one of the alliance’s largest donors. But Kennedy criticized the group for “neglect[ing] the key issue of vaccine safety” in its “zeal to promote universal vaccination.” His stance aligns with growing public skepticism over pharmaceutical industry influence and the need for independent safety reviews.

Kennedy’s message was unequivocal: Funding will resume only if Gavi adopts reforms that prioritize safety over ideology. “Consider the best science available, even when the science contradicts established paradigms,” he urged. The Trump administration’s 2026 budget request already excludes Gavi funding, while the Gates Foundation—a major Gavi partner—pledged $1.6 billion over five years.

Critics, including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), framed the move as a threat to global health. Yet Kennedy’s position reflects a broader pushback against what many view as a captured regulatory system. “Business as usual is over,” he declared.

Gavi responded with a boilerplate commitment to “evidence-based” decisions, but its track record raises questions. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the alliance partnered with the World Health Organization (WHO) to silence dissenting voices on vaccine risks, as noted in Kennedy’s speech. His administration has since withdrawn the U.S. from WHO, citing concerns over “totalitarian impulses” and corruption.

The price of ignoring safety

Kennedy specifically cited the diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTP) vaccine, questioning Gavi’s funding of its rollout in developing nations. He referenced studies showing higher mortality rates among vaccinated girls. Similarly, observational data from Africa and South Asia has repeatedly flagged excess deaths post-DTP vaccination, in a signal that demands scrutiny—not dismissal. As Kennedy noted, Gavi has treated safety concerns “not as a patient health problem, but as a public relations problem.”

Medical charities like Doctors Without Borders condemned the funding halt, warning of “countless children [dying] from vaccine-preventable diseases.” But Kennedy’s stance underscores a fundamental principle: Vaccination without rigorous safety oversight is medical imperialism. Poor nations deserve more than band-aid solutions; they need clean water, nutrition, and healthcare systems free from corporate profiteering.

Rebuilding trust through science

The same day as Kennedy’s announcement, his newly appointed vaccine advisory panel convened to reassess CDC immunization schedules and review outdated vaccines, including Hepatitis B. The move signals a clean break from past administrations that rubber-stamped Big Pharma’s agenda.

RFK Jr.’s skepticism is rooted in decades of documented failures—from the rushed COVID-19 vaccines linked to myocarditis to the CDC’s suppression of data on autism and adjuvants. His demands for Gavi mirror reforms needed domestically: Ban direct-to-consumer drug ads, audit vaccine injury databases, and end mandates that strip parents of choice.

The Gates Foundation’s $10 billion “decade of vaccines” pledge for developing nations now faces scrutiny. Would these funds save more lives if directed toward nutrition and sanitation? Kennedy’s defunding of Gavi challenges the philanthropic-industrial complex to prove its priorities align with human health, not profit.

RFK Jr.’s decision to withhold U.S. funding from Gavi isn’t anti-vaccine; it’s pro-science. By demanding transparent risk-benefit analyses, he champions the principle that medicine must serve patients, not power. As the global health establishment scrambles to demonize critics, the onus is on Gavi to “re-earn the public trust.” Until then, American taxpayers will no longer bankroll its unchecked experimentation on the world’s most vulnerable.

Sources for this article include:

TheEpochTimes.com

NYTimes.com

APNews.com