In a vindictive move tied to vocal opposition to his anti-science agenda at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. cut millions of dollars in funding for the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) on Wednesday.Although administration officials cited a range of reasons for the grant funding cuts including the AAPs use of identity-based languageand references to racial disparities and pregnant people the move follows intense criticism by the group of Kennedys changes to federal vaccine policy. Related Nine former CDC directors warn RFK Jr. is destroying public health & urge swift action to stop him AAP joined a chorus of condemnation over Kennedys decision to stop recommending the Covid vaccine for children, and his firing of the Centers for Disease Controls panel of independent vaccine advisors and their replacement with a hand-picked panel of vaccine skeptics.The majority of what weve seen from the secretary has been a pretty clearly orchestrated strategy to sow distrust in vaccines, Sean OLeary, a physician who heads the AAPs infectious-diseases committee, told The Washington Post. We make our recommendations based on whats in the best interest of the health of children.In response, Kennedy blasted the groups financial ties to pharmaceutical companies, demanding the organization disclose its corporate entanglements and conflicts of interest so that Americans may ask whether the AAPs recommendations reflect public health interest, or are, perhaps, just a pay-to-play scheme to promote commercial ambitions of AAPs Big Pharma benefactors. Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Kennedy terminated seven grants for AAP, including for initiatives on reducing sudden infant deaths, improving adolescent health, preventing fetal alcoholsyndrome, and identifying autism early, according to documents obtained by thePost.AAP received $18.4 million in federal grants from HHS for 2025, according to a federal grants database.An HHS spokesman said the grants cut Wednesday no longer align with the Departments mission or priorities. The sudden withdrawal of these funds will directly impact and potentially harm infants, children, youth, and their families in communities across the United States, said Mark Del Monte, AAPs chief executive and executive vice president. The group is considering legal action, he said.Along with Kennedy, another anti-science, MAGA loyalist, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), targeted AAP, as she successfully promoted her bill to criminalize gender-affirming care for minors across the country. The measure passed the House on Wednesday, but will likely stall in the Senate barring Democrats support.On Monday, Greene dragged the AAP to whip outrage and votes for her bill, with a tweet casting the groups support for gender-affirming care as fighting for the gender mutilation of children.Its unimaginable that the American Academy of Pediatrics would support the genital mutilation of children let alone fight for it. Shame on them. We must pass my Protect Childrens Innocence Act! https://t.co/0QGEVBLham Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (@RepMTG) December 15, 2022 Kennedys announcement pulling the AAP grants on Wednesday preceded another on Thursday for new HHS rules denying Medicare and Medicaid funding to all hospitals that provide gender-affirming care for minors. Dr. Annie Andrews, a pediatrician and outspoken critic of Kennedy whos running to unseat Sen. Lindsey Graham (R) in South Carolina, described the challenge to childrens health that Kennedy represents as existential.Children are not inherently politically powerful. Theyre minors, they cant vote, they dont have money to donate to politicians. I think for a long time, people thought, well, in good faith, most leaders will legislate in a way that doesnt harm children. That is not at all the case, Andrews said. The Trump administration is punishing the American Academy of Pediatrics. I have enough thoughts about this for an entire feature length documentary but here are two minutes of them. (Spoiler alert: you cant fight bad politics by staying apolitical.) pic.twitter.com/KZ6ffct3Py Dr. Annie Andrews (@AnnieAndrewsMD) December 18, 2025Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.