Lopez: I got COVID for the first time and can't smell. But RFK Jr.'s vaccine policies still stink

['Steve Lopez Is A California Native Who Has Been A Los Angeles Times Columnist Since He Has Won More Than A Dozen National Journalism Awards', 'Is A Four-Time Pulitzer Finalist. Lopez Is The Author Most Recently Of', 'Independence Day', 'What I Learned About Retirement', 'Some Who Ve Done It', 'Some Who Never Will.', 'His Book', 'The Soloist', 'Inspired His Columns On His Relationship With A Juilliard-Trained Homeless Person', 'Was A Los Angeles Times'] Los Angeles Times 2025-09-02 00:00:00

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., shown at an August 2025 Cabinet meeting, canceled $500 million in vaccine research funding and placed limits on COVID-19 vaccine availability. But my luck has finally run out, and it must have been the air travel that did me in. And following Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s cancellation of $500 million in mRNA vaccine research , Trump is demanding that pharmaceutical companies show proof that vaccines work. I got a booster before my travels, even though I knew it might not stand up to the new strain of COVID. AdvertisementHonestly, the whole thing has to be a fever dream I’m having, because in the middle of the workout, Kennedy said, and I quote, “It was President Trump who inspired us to do this.”He is many things, President Trump.