Kennedy has also overseen tens of millions of dollars in cuts to federal funding for research on autism, including its environmental causes. Kennedy would have been well positioned to advocate for researchers looking into the environmental causes of autism while sitting on President Donald Trump’s cabinet. Researchers were also making strides under the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, a division of Health and Human Services, which has financed investigations into dozens of environmental contaminants. It also began dismantling its Office of Research and Development, which has funded research into the environmental conditionscontributing to autism. The exposure was also linked to particular symptoms of autism, including social withdrawal, hyperactivity and repetitive behaviors such as hand flapping and body rocking.