Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced in a cabinet meeting on Tuesday that the Department of Health and Human Services has identified “interventions” that it says are behind rising autism rates and will “address them” next month.
“We will have that answer for you,” Kennedy told President Donald Trump. He did not elaborate on what the “interventions” were, or how HHS will address them.
Kennedy’s promise comes after he first pledged in April to find the “environmental toxin” that he says must be behind rising autism rates by September. Scientists dispute the reasons autism rates have rapidly increased in the last few decades, but most believe a combination of factors including better diagnostic criteria, genetics and environmental pollution is likely at play.
Experts have also doubted whether Kennedy’s self-imposed September deadline was realistic. Even Kennedy’s own Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director said it’s difficult to set hard deadlines when it comes to scientific discoveries.
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“Nature has its say,” CDC Director Jay Bhattacharya said at an April press event.
But at Tuesday’s cabinet meeting, Kennedy and Trump were optimistic that a major announcement was right around the corner.
“So there has to be something artificially causing this, meaning a drug or something. And I know you’re looking very strongly at different things,” said Trump.
Kennedy has drawn ire in recent months for decisions he’s made targeting vaccines, which he has said in the past cause autism (a claim unsupported by scientific evidence). He announced earlier this month that HHS would stop funding research into mRNA vaccines, which have drawn particular scrutiny by anti-vaccine activists, and resurrected a task force that will make recommendations on childhood vaccines.
Calling autism a “tremendous horror show,” Trump said he was eagerly awaiting Kennedy’s September announcement.
“I think we maybe know the reason, and I look forward to that press conference,” said Trump.
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