Kennedy’s Quiet Hunt for Autism Culprits Stalls as Trump Orders Baseless Changes to Childhood Shots By Amanda Seitz and Stephanie Armour Aug. 17, 2026

Kennedy’s Quiet Hunt for Autism Culprits Stalls as Trump Orders Baseless Changes to Childhood Shots The Trump administration is working to implement the president’s new order on childhood vaccines, which he publicly faulted for a rise in autism — even as health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s closed-door research has yet to produce evidence linking them. By Amanda Seitz and Stephanie Armour Aug. 17, 2026 https://kffhealthnews.org/public-health/autism-vaccines-rfk-trump-childhood-schedule-changes-debunked-link/ KFF Health News: Kennedy’s Quiet Hunt For Autism Culprits Stalls As Trump Orders Baseless Changes To Childhood Shots President Donald Trump has ordered a reduction in childhood vaccines — publicly faulting the shots for an increase in autism cases — even as the nation’s top health official, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has failed to produce evidence linking vaccinations to the disorder. While the executive order released Aug. 10 does not directly mention autism, Trump’s demand to limit vaccine recommendations has puzzled leading medical groups, doctors, and political analysts alike. The directive landed less than 90 days before midterm elections, which Trump’s own pollsters have warned could be jeopardized by anti-vaccine rhetoric. (Seitz and Armour, 8/17)