Overview

• Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the termination of 22 BARDA-managed mRNA vaccine contracts, representing roughly $500 million in federal investments.
• The cancelled projects focused on avian and porcine influenza vaccines and involved biotech firms such as Moderna, Pfizer and Sanofi.
• Kennedy Jr. argued that data show mRNA vaccines offer insufficient protection against upper respiratory infections like COVID-19 and the flu, while raising safety concerns.
• Public health experts including Dr. Paul Offit and Dr. Michael Osterholm cautioned that the decision lacks scientific support and could weaken U.S. readiness for future pandemics.
• This funding cut follows Kennedy Jr.’s earlier HHS workforce reductions and the dissolution of the CDC immunization advisory panel as part of his broader vaccine policy overhaul.