The Department of Health and Human Services cut funding for seven grant programs that supported an organization that has criticized Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., according to a new report.
The New York Timesreported that the grants had been awarded to the American Academy of Pediatrics for programs that seek to reduce "sudden infant deaths, prenatal substance exposure, birth defects and adolescent mental health problems." In all, the seven programs accounted for $3 million in funding out of the roughly $18 million that the academy received from HHS last year, according to the report.
The academy has criticized RFK Jr.'s changes to the federal vaccine schedule and his efforts to oust the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to the report.
Mark Del Monte, the academy’s CEO, told the NYT in a statement that the “sudden withdrawal of funds” from the child health initiatives would “directly impact and potentially harm infants, children, youth, and their families in communities across the United States.”
Del Monte also warned the American Academy of Pediatrics could seek “legal recourse” against the administration to stop the funding cuts.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly sought ways to wrest control of the federal government's purse away from Congress during his second term. For instance, the president has attempted to cancel federal grants for homeless services and universities, although the moves have been tied up in court thus far.