RFK Jr. Appears to Have Skipped January CDC Planning Exercise on Bird Flu
As concerns mount about the spread of bird flu, documents recently obtained by American Oversight indicate that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was not present at a transition-period CDC tabletop exercise on the distribution of a vaccine.
When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) met in January to prepare President Donald Trump’s incoming administration for a potential bird flu outbreak, the incoming health secretary — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — wasn’t there.
Documents obtained by American Oversight highlight a Jan. 17 tabletop exercise held by CDC officials to coordinate the distribution of the H5 vaccine, which is used to combat bird flu. According to the records, the exercise was to ensure that officials “be prepared in case the epidemiology changes.” While other incoming cabinet appointees apparently attended the planning exercise, which according to the records was aimed at “enhanc[ing] coordination in the allocation, ordering, distribution, and administration of influenza A (H5) vaccine,” CDC officials noted the absence of then-incoming Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The revelations about the absence of Kennedy — a vocal vaccine skeptic — come amid rising concerns from experts about the spread of the virus and about the Trump administration’s response. Kennedy has repeatedly made misleading or false claims about vaccines, including that they cause autism. This week, a Kennedy spokesperson stated that new vaccines will require placebo testing, which could delay availability of new Covid-19 vaccines and exacerbate mistrust, and recent reporting from Politico indicates that Kennedy is considering a reversal of the CDC’s Covid-19 vaccination recommendation for children. When it comes to bird flu, Kennedy has made the dangerous and inhumane suggestion that the virus should be allowed to “run through the flock,” despite objections from veterinary scientists.
At the same time, the Trump administration’s massive federal workforce reductions and cost-cutting measures have undermined the ability of our nation’s health and research agencies to address the growing threat. “We are getting strong warning signs from animals and people, and we are just watching and not doing a lot about it,” one expert told the New York Times this week. As the Times also noted, the Department of Health and Human Services has not held a public briefing on bird flu since January.
Varying strains of bird flu have emerged over time, but recent outbreaks of the current H5N1 strain have decimated egg-laying bird populations, causing egg prices to skyrocket. Recent transmission of the bird flu to American cattle herds have also prompted concern from infectious disease experts, who warn that continued spread of the disease creates conditions for possible human-to-human transmission — a sign of a potential impending pandemic. And in a recent article in the Lancet medical journal, top virologists from around the world urged leaders to do more to prevent an H5N1 pandemic.
As public health experts voice their fears, President Trump’s track record on combating disease outbreaks has also sparked concern. The end of his first term was largely characterized by his administration’s mismanaged handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, in which Trump officials routinely ignored or rejected guidance from scientists and public health experts and pushed dubious treatments.
Now, months into Trump’s second term, it appears that Kennedy’s absence at the January CDC tabletop exercise was a preview of his leadership with regard to the bird flu threat. The health secretary has culled thousands of scientists, researchers, and senior leaders from the agency, spurring chaos and confusion across departments. Alongside Kennedy’s promise of “radical transparency” at HHS came major cuts to the department’s communications and FOIA offices.
Our nation’s wellbeing relies on ensuring that our public health leaders have accurate scientific information as well as adequate resources and planning. An agency led by officials who uplift fringe science and evince little concern about a rising health crisis is a danger to the public interest. American Oversight is investigating the Trump administration’s handling of public health issues, and has filed numerous public records requests to federal health agencies, seeking to uncover the consequences of Kennedy’s leadership and its impact on Americans’ safety.