Trump administration deprioritizes Kennedy's health policy agenda in 2025

The White House has pulled back support for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s health agenda, creating friction inside the Trump administration in 2025. Kennedy, who leads the Make America Healthy Again movement and serves as Secretary of Health and Human Services, has seen several of his priorities quietly shelved. Officials chose candidates with traditional medical backgrounds for key health roles, going against Kennedy's preference for outsiders. Trump also sided with farming corporations over Kennedy on a disputed weedkiller used in agriculture. The administration has steered health policy toward drug prices and insurance costs rather than Kennedy's focus on vaccines and medical research. Kennedy joined the administration after dropping his independent presidential run and backing Trump in 2024. One executive order on vaccine policy, signed in late May, did reflect Kennedy's thinking.