Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Monday he will reform the program that compensates people injured by vaccines. He called the system corrupt and inefficient and said it fails to serve the public.
Kennedy, a former vaccine injury attorney and long-time critic of government vaccine policy, posted on X that the VICP has failed its congressional mission.
“I will not allow the VICP to continue to ignore its mandate and fail its mission of quickly and fairly compensating vaccine-injured individuals,” he wrote. “Together, we will steer the Vaccine Court back to its original congressional intent,” he added, referring to his collaboration with Attorney General Pam Bondi.
The VICP, also known as the Vaccine Court, was created in 1986 to compensate individuals injured by vaccines. It also shields vaccine manufacturers from liability. Kennedy noted that under the current structure, the Department of Health and Human Services—his own agency—serves as the defendant instead of the vaccine companies. He said this places an unfair burden on claimants.
Kennedy’s push to reform the VICP is part of a broader agenda to reshape federal health policy. In June, he dismissed all 17 members of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
He replaced them with seven new members, some of whom have been openly skeptical of vaccines. One new adviser reportedly earned thousands as an expert witness in lawsuits against Merck’s Gardasil vaccine. Kennedy was also involved in organizing mass litigation against Merck.
The Health Secretary is also eyeing changes to another federal advisory panel, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which helps determine which screenings and services insurance companies must cover. A spokesperson for HHS confirmed that Kennedy has not yet made a final decision on replacing its 16 members.
Kennedy has for years been a controversial figure in the vaccine debate. He has promoted widely disputed claims, including a link between vaccines and autism—a theory repeatedly debunked by scientific research. He has also claimed the measles vaccine contains cells from aborted fetuses and has questioned the effectiveness of the mumps vaccine.
Critics argue his views have contributed to growing vaccine skepticism, even as the U.S. faces a resurgence of preventable diseases like measles. Supporters, however, see him as a reformer willing to take on powerful pharmaceutical interests and government bureaucracy.
Ethics disclosures show Kennedy earned millions over the years through legal referrals, book sales, and consulting fees tied to his vaccine activism and nonprofit work.
Whether Kennedy’s changes will lead to meaningful reform or stir more controversy remains to be seen, but his commitment to restructuring the nation’s vaccine injury system marks a major policy shift at HHS.