Trump signs order to curb childhood vaccines as autism research stalls under Kennedy

On Aug. 10, President Donald Trump signed an executive order calling for a reassessment of childhood immunizations, a step that has confused medical societies because it does not name specific vaccines. The directive follows months of pressure on health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose confidential, multimillion-dollar autism-cause project has missed its deadline and produced no conclusive findings. Critics, including psychologist Helen Tager-Flusberg, describe the effort as unusually opaque, likening it to a “Manhattan Project.”

Kennedy’s team, led by adviser Stefanie Spear and senior adviser William “Reyn” Archer III, has recruited records from political appointees while the NIH has awarded about $50 million in grants that will not be completed for years. Advocacy groups such as the Autism Society say they have been excluded from the process, and the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee was recently filled with parents and vaccine skeptics.

Scientists note that the rise in autism diagnoses is largely due to broader definitions and increased screening, not vaccines, and the administration’s claims remain unsupported. The order arrives less than 90 days before the midterm elections, prompting concerns about its political impact.