The Kennedy Legacy vs. American Wellness: The Five Worst Health Decisions of 2025

Blue Press Journal’s Year End Review of the Trump Administration

It was billed as a revolution. With Robert F. Kennedy Jr. confirmed as Secretary of Health and Human Services, a vocal contingent of Americans hoped for a return to “natural health” and a dismantling of the so-called “administrative state.” The promise was to “Make America Healthy Again.”

However, as the calendar turns on a turbulent 2025, the revolution looks less like a renaissance and more like a regression. Under Secretary Kennedy’s unorthodox leadership, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has pursued an aggressive agenda that prioritizes ideology over epidemiology and conspiracy over clinical science. The result? A series of policy decisions that have actively eroded the foundations of public health in the United States.

Here are the five most damaging health policy decisions of 2025 that have left American families less safe and less protected.

1. The “Clean Water” Executive Order & Fluoridation Ban In his first month, Kennedy delivered on his most controversial campaign promise: ordering the removal of fluoride from all public water systems nationwide. Citing debunked studies linking fluoride to lowered IQ, the Secretary ignored decades of data from the CDC and the World Health Organization proving that water fluoridation is the single most effective public health measure to prevent tooth decay. The immediate consequence is a sharp projected rise in dental health issues, disproportionately affecting low-income families who lack easy access to dental care.

2. The Withdrawal of Support for mRNA Technology Perhaps the most scientifically regressive move of the year was Kennedy’s directive to the NIH to freeze all funding for research into mRNA vaccine technology. By politicizing a delivery mechanism that saved millions of lives during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Secretary has halted promising research into personalized cancer vaccines and next-generation flu shots. This decision signals to the scientific community that the U.S. government is no longer a reliable partner in cutting-edge medical innovation.

3. The Purging of the CDC Advisory Committee In a move that stunned the medical community, Kennedy utilized emergency provisions to replace the entire Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). He replaced seasoned epidemiologists and pediatricians with hand-picked “health freedom” advocates, including several prominent critics of standard vaccine schedules. The effect was immediate: the committee’s recommendation for the annual flu shot was delayed by months and wrapped in uncertainty, leading to confusion among doctors and a likely decrease in vaccination rates this winter.

4. The “Vaccine Injury Compensation” Overhaul The Secretary championed legislation that dramatically expanded the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP). While framed as “protecting the injured,” the legislation was drafted with broad language that allows individuals to sue vaccine manufacturers for adverse effects that have been repeatedly disproven by science. This legal loophole effectively undermines the liability protections that allow vaccines to be manufactured at scale, threatening to drive prices up or drive manufacturers out of the market entirely.

5. The “Raw Milk” Deregulation Initiative Promoting a fringe dietary trend as federal policy, Kennedy’s HHS oversaw the rollback of safety regulations regarding the sale of raw (unpasteurized) milk and eggs across state lines. Public health officials have warned that this move ignores the very real dangers of pathogens like E. coli and Salmonella. By framing this as a matter of “consumer choice” rather than food safety, the department has invited a potential public health crisis via foodborne illness outbreaks.

The Verdict A year ago, the promise was health. Today, the reality is confusion, higher risks of preventable disease, and a government apparatus that actively distrusts the scientists it employs. For an administration tasked with protecting the nation’s health, 2025 has been a year of unforced errors that may take decades to correct.