U.S. Public Health Policy

An Associated Press/PBS report details how, in President Donald Trump’s second term, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has radically overhauled federal health policy in 2025 by cutting thousands of HHS jobs, freezing or canceling billions of dollars for NIH and other scientific research, and pushing the Make America Healthy Again agenda across issues from diet guidance to vaccines. The article describes specific moves including dropping CDC recommendations for COVID‑19 shots in healthy children and pregnant women, firing an entire 17‑member CDC vaccine advisory panel and replacing members with his own picks, and using departmental authority to elevate controversial positions on vaccines, seed oils, fluoride and Tylenol while also pursuing bipartisan‑backed efforts on healthy eating, exercise and drug‑price negotiations.