HHS Tracker Update Notes

September 3 – September 20, 2025: Florida moved to end all childhood vaccine mandates and Secretary Kennedy push through rapid rewrites of U.S. vaccine policy, tightening eligibility and broadening exemptions. The backlash grew louder, with major medical organizations and even Kennedy family members calling for his resignation. The CDC stirred controversy by funding new autism–vaccine research, while Kennedy’s advisers recommended against the MMRV combination shot for young children.

Censorship
Public Health
Health Security
HHS Tracker
Author
Affiliation

InfoEpi Lab

Information Epidemiology Lab

Published

September 22, 2025

Timeline Additions

September 3 – September 20, 2025

  • September 3, 2025 – Florida announces plans to eliminate all childhood vaccine mandates.

  • September 3, 2025 – 24 national medical, scientific, and public health organizations call for Secretary Kennedy’s resignation.

  • September 5, 2025 – Kerry Kennedy and Joseph P. Kennedy III call for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to resign from HHS.

  • September 11, 2025 – Vinay Prasad regains his role as FDA Chief Medical Officer.

  • September 12, 2025 – CDC awards contract to RPI to study vaccines and autism despite lack of evidence of a connection.

  • September 13, 2025 – Moderna shares drop 7.4% after reports FDA may tie COVID-19 vaccines to child deaths.

  • September 18, 2025 – Secretary Kennedy accelerates U.S. vaccine policy changes, restricting eligibility and expanding exemptions.

  • September 18, 2025 – RFK Jr.–appointed panel advises against MMRV combo vaccine for children under age 4.

  • September 20, 2025 – U.S. vaccine advisers abandon broad COVID shot support, shifting to shared decision-making with providers.

You can see the updated tracker here: HHS Tracker.

Citation

BibTeX citation:
@article{infoepi_lab2025,
  author = {{InfoEpi Lab}},
  publisher = {Information Epidemiology Lab},
  title = {HHS {Tracker} {Update} {Notes}},
  journal = {InfoEpi Lab},
  date = {2025-09-22},
  url = {https://infoepi.org/posts/2025/09/22-hhs-tracker-update.html},
  langid = {en}
}
For attribution, please cite this work as:
InfoEpi Lab. 2025. “HHS Tracker Update Notes .” InfoEpi Lab, September. https://infoepi.org/posts/2025/09/22-hhs-tracker-update.html.