How RFK Jr. could impact vaccines as Trump's HHS secretary

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. could wield significant authority to directly affect how and whether Americans get vaccines nationwide, current and former federal health officials say, if he is confirmed next year to head the Department of Health and Human Services under President-elect Donald Trump.

The position would grant Kennedy authority over efforts like the Vaccines for Children program, which is estimated to have saved 1.1 million lives by immunizing children against diseases like polio and measles that are now rare thanks to the shots.

Many public health experts have decried the pick, saying Kennedy's past claims about vaccines are disqualifying.