Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. must make several consequential vaccine policy decisions in coming months, testing whether the Trump administration is genuinely shifting away from vaccine skepticism or merely downplaying the issue ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

With deadlines approaching before the November 2026 midterms, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. must decide whether to appeal a judge's March order freezing his ACIP overhaul, approve a new Moderna mRNA flu vaccine by early August, release $600 million in FDA funding for international vaccine distribution, and respond to a petition from his former attorney Aaron Siri to add 300+ conditions to the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, while the White House publicly directs him to prioritize food policy over vaccine skepticism.