(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) — This week, Senate Democrats sent a letter to RFK Jr. demanding answers on how he plans to change the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program and if his family and associates will benefit. RFK Jr. has until February 10 to respond.
Last week, 314 Action released a factsheet exposing RFK Jr.’s actions as Health and Human Services Secretary and his financial ties to vaccine injury lawsuits. 314 Action was the first to uncover RFK Jr. ‘s financial conflict of interest and launched a pressure campaign urging Senators to question RFK Jr.’s financial ties to law firms suing vaccine makers during his confirmation hearing, nearly one year ago.
“If RFK Jr. moves forward with changes to the Vaccine Injury Table, it will open the floodgates in state courts and become a multi-billion dollar industry for his allies and friends,” said 314 Action President Shaughnessy Naughton. “This is a scandal of epic proportions—while more children get sick and die from infectious and preventable diseases, RFK Jr.’s family and associates stand to make millions from exploiting them. We join Senate Democrats to demand answers and transparency—the countdown is on for HHS to respond and we will keep the pressure on.”
If you’re interested in speaking to 314 Action for more on this developing story, please reach out to [email protected].
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Recent Coverage:
Bloomberg 1/28: Senators Bash RFK Jr. on Changes to Vaccine Injury Committee
“On Tuesday, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey of Massachusetts, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland sent Kennedy a letter highlighting his ties to a law firm that represents people suing the pharmaceutical company Merck & Co. who claim they were harmed by the company’s HPV vaccine Gardasil. The senators said those ties will benefit Kennedy, particularly if he’s able to change policy to make it easier for people to sue vaccine makers.
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“Kennedy, a former environmental lawyer who has questioned the safety of vaccines, had been referring Gardasil cases to the law firm Wisner Baum LLP, according to the senators’ letter. He was set to receive a 10% payout from any winning lawsuits until pushback led him to sign his stake in the litigation over to one of his sons, though he didn’t disclose which one. Kennedy’s son Conor Kennedy works at Wisner Baum. Additionally, two close Kennedy allies are vaccine trial attorneys who have argued cases in vaccine court against pharmaceutical companies.
“Now, in potential personal and financial conflicts of interest, Kennedy has the ability to reform the vaccine courts where his friends and advisers are arguing cases, the letter says.”
STAT News 1/20: RFK Jr. is moving to remake a little-known vaccine panel. It could have big consequences
“Kennedy has removed at least four of the nine members of the Advisory Commission on Childhood Vaccinations (ACCV) ahead of the scheduled end of their terms. The panel advises on a program that compensates people who are injured by vaccines, and stacking it with allies could help Kennedy if he wants to change the injuries that it covers.”
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“Stacking the ACCV could sway the group to think more along the lines of Kennedy, who has reportedly floated the idea of adding autism to the table, a senior adviser said at a public event in September. If additional injuries are added to the table, like autism, “you’ll just see a flood of litigation” that could threaten the program’s viability, Offit told STAT.”
Washington Post 1/15: How RFK Jr. plans to bankrupt vaccine manufacturers
“Kennedy understands he can take vaccines away from Americans if he makes vaccines unprofitable. If the VICP is overwhelmed by too many claims and goes bankrupt, manufacturers become financially liable. Facing new risks of lengthy and expensive litigation, they will stop selling vaccines in the U.S.”
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314 Action has led the charge to hold RFK Jr. accountable since his nomination. 314 Action was the first to oppose his confirmation last year, launching a seven-figure accountability pressure campaign to stop RFK Jr. in his tracks. In September 2025, 314 Action led calls for his resignation, standing with Senate and Congressional leaders and a growing coalition of allied groups. Over 125,000 Americans signed onto 314 Action’s petition, calling for Congress to launch an investigation into RFK Jr’s dangerous tenure.