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19h ago

HHS Terminates Seven AAP Grants Worth Millions as Clash Over Vaccine Policy Deepens

Citing a mismatch with departmental priorities, the agency’s move pushes the pediatrics group to consider legal action.

A U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) sign is carved at the entrance to the Hubert H. Humphrey Building on June 2, 2025 in Washington, DC.
A man casts a shadow as he walks toward the Hubert H. Humphrey Building, headquarters of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 1, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
Members of U.S. President Donald Trump's cabinet (L-R) Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio attend a meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House on December 2, 2025 in Washington, D.C.

Overview

  • The seven cancellations, administered by the CDC (three) and HRSA (four), defund work on sudden infant death reduction, early autism detection, adolescent and mental health, rural access, and prevention of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.
  • An HHS spokesperson said the awards were canceled because they no longer align with the department’s mission or priorities, and noted that other organizations also lost grants.
  • Reporting attributed to the Washington Post says at least one termination letter objected to AAP materials using “identity-based language,” including references to racial disparities and the term “pregnant people.”
  • AAP CEO Mark Del Monte said the group learned of the decisions this week and is exploring legal recourse, warning the withdrawals will harm families nationwide.
  • The funding cuts arrive as the AAP’s separate lawsuit contests recent vaccine-policy changes under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., with a court hearing held Wednesday and fresh CDC shifts on COVID-19 and newborn hepatitis B guidance drawing AAP objections.