Kennedy defends vaccine fund cuts, calls processed foods part of genocide against Natives during Alaska visit
- Mark Sabbatini
- Aug 6
- 4 min read
Both of Alaska’s U.S. senators praise Trump’s health secretary for his health care efforts for state’s Indigenous people
By Mark Sabbatini
Editor
Hours after cutting $500 million for vaccine research, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. defended his controversial health care agenda at a press conference Tuesday with Alaska’s two U.S. senators during the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium in Anchorage.
During his appearance with U.S. Sens. Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski, both Republicans who voted to confirm him as health secretary, Kennedy called processed foods part of a genocide against Alaska Native people.
"All the tribes, the processed foods are literally killing them, part of a genocide that is centuries old," he said. "It may be one of the worst parts of that genocide in terms of the impact of processed foods on Native health."
As a result, he said "we want to work with the tribes. We want to be recognize and support their sovereignty. And we want to move the impediments to food sovereignty, to subsistence of traditional foods we wanted."
Earlier during the day Kennedy earned global headlines by announcing the cancellation of $500 million for 22 vaccine development projects using mRNA technology. Health experts say the technology is safe and its development was crucial in slowing the spread of COVID-19 at the onset of the pandemic.
“I don’t think I’ve seen a more dangerous decision in public health in my 50 years in the business,” Mike Osterholm, a University of Minnesota expert on infectious diseases and pandemic preparations, told the Associated Press. He also told the news agency the technology allows rapid vaccine production, which would be crucial if a new pandemic occurs.
Kennedy, who has made numerous false and misleading statements about vaccines, stated without providing scientific evidence that the funding is being cancelled because the mRNA vaccines “fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like COVID and flu."
Sullivan did not address Kennedy’s vaccine policies at the event. Murkowski — notorious as being one of the few Republicans in Congress who has criticized the Trump administration on some issues — said she disagreed with some of his actions, such as replacing all of the members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
“I have been one who has been perhaps more critical of some of the processes, but I don’t fault the secretary for wanting to ensure that there is a more rigorous testing process for our vaccines," she said. "Although I do believe that we have many vaccines that have been in place for years, if not decades, that have clearly demonstrated that efficacy over a period.”
The health secretary, during his Anchorage appearance, also defended cuts to Medicaid contained in a budget bill signed by Trump last month that cuts $1 trillion in federal health care spending, which state officials say could affect coverage for more than 100,000 Alaskans. The bill also adds $3.4 trillion to the national deficit during the next decade by including $4.5 trillion in tax cuts that fiscal analysts say primarily benefit the wealthy.
"We're using AI and we're using innovation to identify waste, fraud and abuse, and eliminate it, and that's the only cuts that we're going to see," Kennedy said.
Alaska’s congressional delegation has noted some Alaska-specific exemptions to the Medicaid cuts are in the federal spending bill. Those include exempting Alaska Native people and certain seasonal workers such as fishers from work requirements for able-bodied people to be eligible for Medicaid.
Murkowski and Sullivan, during the press conference, both praised Kennedy for his commitment to Alaska Native health care in particular.
"It's an honor to be able to welcome him back to Alaska," Murkowski said, "It is yet another trip in his repertoire of many, many visits to the state of Alaska. He's familiar with many of our issues, but most notably as they relate to Alaska Native peoples. So to have him here in his capacity as the Secretary of Health and Human Services with the oversight of (Indian Health Service) is significant. And it's important he's heard today much about what he already knows with regards to self determination, self governance, some of the issues that impact our tribal health organizations."
Sullivan said he asks all of Trump’s Cabinet nominees and other top officials if they have been to Alaska, and Kennedy’s response was particularly impressive.
"Before I could even, like, ask the question Secretary Kennedy spent 25 minutes telling me of all the places he's been to in Alaska, how many times he's been up here, how he cares about these issues, how he's been working on for decades — especially Alaska Native health issues — where I would say he's not just passionate, but brings a level of expertise and commitment," he said. "So in our first meeting I was blown away by his commitment to Alaska."
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.
