Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is facing growing criticism following the forced resignation of Dr. Peter Marks, the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) top vaccine official.
Marks, who had been a key figure in vaccine approval and oversight, issued a strong rebuke of Kennedy’s leadership in his resignation letter, accusing him of prioritizing “misinformation and lies” over scientific consensus.
Marks’s departure has intensified concerns about Kennedy’s long-standing skepticism toward vaccines, particularly his refusal to acknowledge that childhood vaccines do not cause autism—a position contradicted by extensive scientific research.
Kennedy’s views on vaccines have long been a subject of debate. Public health experts and scientists worry that his leadership at HHS could undermine public trust in vaccination programs.
Reports indicate that HHS has enlisted a prominent anti-vaccine advocate to conduct a study exploring a vaccine-autism link, despite overwhelming evidence from hundreds of studies that no such connection exists.
Additionally, Kennedy has drawn scrutiny for his muted response to a measles outbreak in Texas, where he promoted alternative treatments such as vitamin A and cod liver oil while downplaying the severity of the disease.
Kennedy has also proposed a major restructuring of HHS, which includes plans to eliminate 10,000 positions, including employees working in vaccine promotion and HIV prevention programs.
The resignation of Marks has had immediate market repercussions. Biotech and vaccine stocks tumbled, with the SPDR S&P Biotech ETF dropping as much as 6% on Monday.
Cantor Fitzgerald, a major financial firm, issued an unusually strong rebuke of Kennedy’s leadership, with analysts Josh Schimmer and Eric Schmidt calling for the Trump administration to “re-evaluate” his role.
“Kennedy is steering this country into dangerous territory based on his own whims and invalidated beliefs,” the analysts wrote. “He’s ventured far outside of his swim lane. It’s time to take him out of the pool.”
Their remarks were particularly notable given that Howard Lutnick, Cantor’s former CEO, is now Trump’s Secretary of Commerce.
The Hill, Bloomberg, and Reuters contributed to this report.
