Top Vaccine Official Resigns, Citing Misinformation by RFK Jr.

March 31, 2025
RFK Jr.'s anti-vaccine beliefs lead to changes within the HHS

Peter Marks, M.D., Ph.D., the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) top vaccine regulator, resigned Friday while criticizing Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

In a resignation letter obtained by NPR, Marks stated, "It has become clear that truth and transparency are not desired by the secretary, but rather he wishes subservient confirmation of his misinformation and lies."

"Marks has long steered the FDA's regulation of vaccines as director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. He became especially well-known during the first Trump administration for his work with Operation Warp Speed, which was credited with the fast development of COVID-19 vaccines," NPR's Rob Stein reported.

"Since becoming secretary, Kennedy has vowed to scrutinize the safety of childhood vaccinations, despite decades of evidence they are safe and have saved millions of lives," AP's Michael Casey and Matthew Perrone wrote.

It shouldn't come then as too much of a surprise that a discredited vaccine skeptic, David Geier, has been hired as a senior data analyst at The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to examine any potential links between vaccines and autism that were debunked long ago, according to the New York Times.

"David Geier's new government role has stunned public health experts, who had already expressed concerns about Mr. Kennedy's decision to cancel a long-held vaccine meeting and to cut grants focused on understanding vaccine hesitancy," NYT's Christina Jewett, Emily Baumgaertner Nunn and Sheryl Gay Stolberg reported on March 27.

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