Leading pediatrics group loses funding for grants that HHS says don’t align with administration’s priorities

By Jacqueline Howard, CNN

(CNN) — The American Academy of Pediatrics has joined the ranks of organizations that are losing funding for grants that, federal officials say, don’t align with the Trump administration’s missions or priorities.

The US Department of Health and Human Services said Wednesday that it has terminated grants to the American Academy of Pediatrics. The organization, representing 67,000 US pediatricians, has criticized some of the agency’s positions and had ongoing clashes with officials, including a legal battle.

The AAP learned this week that seven grants under HHS are being terminated, Mark Del Monte, the organization’s chief executive officer and executive vice president, said in a statement Wednesday.

“This vital work spanned multiple child health priorities, including reducing sudden infant death, rural access to health care, mental health, adolescent health, supporting children with birth defects, early identification of autism, and prevention of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, among other topics,” Del Monte said.

“The Academy is proud of this work, and of the staff, pediatricians, and partners who were engaged in these important programs. The sudden withdrawal of these funds will directly impact and potentially harm infants, children, youth, and their families in communities across the United States,” he said. “AAP is exploring all available options, including legal recourse, in response to these actions. The AAP remains committed to supporting the health and wellbeing of all infants, children, adolescents and young adults.”

The cancellations, totaling millions of dollars, were first reported by the Washington Post.

HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon said Wednesday that the AAP is one of several medical groups that have had funding terminated.

“These grants, previously awarded to the American Academy of Pediatrics, were canceled along with a number of other grants to other organizations because they no longer align with the Department’s mission or priorities,” Nixon said in an email.

Under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the department’s stated priorities have included addressing chronic diseases and toxins, combating “gender ideology,” exploring alternative testing models, furthering the understanding of autism and ending “illegal race discrimination” as well as “dangerous gain-of-function research.”

The AAP and Kennedy have been in conflict – and litigation – over certain public health policies, including those related to childhood vaccinations.

Earlier this year, the AAP took the rare step of breaking with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on its recommendation that the Covid-19 vaccine for children should be “based on shared clinical decision-making.” The AAP recommendations were more explicit, saying that all children 6 months through 23 months should receive a Covid-19 vaccine unless they have known allergies to the vaccine or its ingredients.

The AAP also criticized the CDC on Tuesday for adopting its vaccine advisers’ decision to no longer recommend the universal birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine for newborns. “It is deeply disappointing to see the continued dismissal of expertise to inform recommendations that have broad implications on the health of America’s children,” AAP President Dr. Susan Kressly said in a statement.

A coalition of medical groups led by the AAP argued in federal court Wednesday that recent changes to recommendations by the CDC’s vaccine advisers and certain actions by Kennedy violate the Administrative Procedure Act and the Federal Advisory Committee Act.

The hearing, in US District Court for the District of Massachusetts, focused on the government’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit that the AAP filed against Kennedy, claiming that the Administrative Procedure Act and the Federal Advisory Committee Act were violated when changes to immunization schedules were made, and whether the plaintiffs have standing to bring suit.

“Right now, our children need strong government leadership. With measles surging, with flu and respiratory season upon us, and with holiday travel leading to more exposures for babies too young to be immunized who rely on their community to protect them, families deserve clarity. They deserve thoughtful, deliberative guidance grounded in medical evidence,” Kressly said in a news release about the hearing Wednesday.

“They deserve access to immunizations for their children without confusion and chaos,” she said. “And their pediatricians will do all we can – from the clinic to the courthouse – to keep children healthy, to speak up for them and to fight for them.”

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