RFK Jr. Has Vowed to Fire and Prosecute Hundreds of NIH And FDA Employees and Pause All Research On Drug Development And Infectious Disease
It’s no secret Donald Trump’s nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) poses a huge threat to the top health institutions that keep Americans safe and healthy. As HHS Secretary, RFK Jr. would prioritize his own interests over the needs of the American people. Not only does he oppose lifesaving vaccinations, but he has also downplayed the severity of infectious diseases and plans to gut funding for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which will halt the progress of essential research on lifesaving drug and vaccine development.
The NIH is among the top medical research centers in the world. On top of the lifesaving research conducted by NIH, the research center also serves as the impetus behind a significant portion of the economy, both in the private and public sectors. Funding from the NIH contributed to 99.4 percent of all drugs approved in the U.S. from 2010 to 2019. The 50 states receive tens of billions in funding from NIH awards annually, and the research center supports nearly half a million jobs and hundreds of billions of dollars in economic activity in the states.
RFK Jr. has absolutely no place leading our health care system. Working families deserve access to affordable, high-quality health care and an HHS leader who trusts science and is committed to strengthening public health, not tearing it down.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Researchers across the country received $37.81 billion in NIH awards in FY2023.
- $92.89 billion in state economic activity is supported by NIH funding, reflecting a 2.46x return on investment.
- NIH grants directly support 412,041 American jobs. Nearly 2.3 million Americans are employed by around 150,000 businesses in the American bioscience industry.
- Thousands of top universities, hospitals, research institutes, and biopharmaceutical companies are supported by NIH funding.
The NIH Funds Critical, Lifesaving Drug Research. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) contributes billions to critical drug research and development throughout the U.S. A study of 356 drugs approved by the FDA between 2010 and 2019 found that the NIH contributed funding to all but two of the drugs – 99.4 percent of the drugs included in the study, and every single new drug approved between 2010 and 2016, with funding totaling $187 billion. The study also found that spending from the NIH on drug research and development was not less than industry spending, demonstrating the vast scale and influence of the NIH in the pharmaceutical industry.
The NIH Is A Key Source of Economic Activity. Beyond prescription drug research, NIH funding is a massive generator of economic activity in the U.S. In FY2023 alone, researchers across the country were awarded $37.81 billion in NIH grants. In turn, $92.89 billion in state economic activity is supported by NIH funding – reflecting a 2.46x return on investment, or $2.46 in economic activity generated for every dollar awarded by the NIH. The NIH directly funds 412,041 American jobs, and nearly 2.3 million Americans are employed by around 150,000 businesses in the American bioscience industry overall. In addition, thousands of top universities, hospitals, research institutes, and biopharmaceutical companies are supported by NIH funding.
Kennedy Says He Will Pause All Research On Drug Development And Infectious Disease. At a June 2024 town hall meeting Kennedy said, “I’m going to go to NIH my first week and I’m going to call all the division heads and I’m going to call all the bureau chiefs and I’m going to say, we’re going to give drug development and infectious disease a break. A little break, a little bit of a break for about eight years.” These remarks echo what he told an anti-vaccine conference in November 2023, when he said, “I’m gonna say to NIH scientists, God bless you all. Thank you for [your] public service. We’re going to give infectious disease a break for about eight years.” Kennedy has also claimed that he will go after medical journals and redirect funding away from epidemiology, a practice that seeks to prevent and control the spread of disease.
Kennedy Has Vowed to Fire and Prosecute Hundreds of NIH And FDA Employees. Kennedy claims to have a list of 600 employees of the NIH that he plans to fire on day one. Before the 2024 election, Kennedy posted on social media, “FDA’s war on public health is about to end. This includes its aggressive suppression of psychedelics, peptides, stem cells, raw milk, hyperbaric therapies, chelating compounds, ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine, vitamins, clean foods, sunshine, exercise, nutraceuticals and anything else that advances human health and can’t be patented by Pharma. If you work for the FDA and are part of this corrupt system, I have two messages for you: 1. Preserve your records, and 2. Pack your bags.” During a “Make America Healthy Again” event in October 2024, Kennedy also said he would fire every nutritional scientist at the FDA “on day 1,” claiming he would otherwise “ship them to a new HHS headquarters in Guam” if unable to fire them. Kennedy has threatened to prosecute Dr. Anthony Fauci and he claimed that he would eliminate “entire departments” and hundreds of employees at the FDA.
Kennedy: “I Do Not Believe That Infectious Disease Is An Enormous Threat To Human Health.” At a 2023 roundtable, Kennedy said he does “not believe that infectious disease is an enormous threat to human health.” Kennedy also claimed that “medical research on these diseases and vaccine research has created some of the worst plagues in our history” and baselessly asserted that vaccine research was responsible for the creation of HIV, the Spanish flu, Lyme, and RSV.