Frankel blasts RFK Jr. campaign of misinformation at Harrisburg rally, warns it puts Pennsylvania children at risk
Rep. Dan B. Frankel January 21, 2026 | 2:53 PM
HARRISBURG, Jan. 21 – HARRISBURG, Jan. 21 – Following a rally in Harrisburg on Wednesday where President Donald Trump’s Health Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., promoted his so-called “Make America Healthy Again” agenda, Pennsylvania House Majority Health Committee Chairman Dan Frankel issued the following statement:
“Robert Kennedy Jr.’s continued campaign to undermine evidence-backed public health policies is reckless, dangerous and directly puts Pennsylvanians in harm’s way. Cloaking long-discredited misinformation in the language of ‘health’ does not make it true, and it does not make it safe.
“Parents deserve clear, fact-based information and full context when making decisions about their children’s health. What they do not deserve is a national figure deliberately sowing mistrust in pediatricians, scientists and public health professionals whose work has saved countless lives.
“Vaccines are among the most thoroughly studied medical interventions in history. The scientific consensus is clear: routine childhood immunizations are safe, effective and essential to preventing serious and sometimes deadly diseases. When figures such as Kennedy undermine that consensus, vaccination rates fall – and preventable illnesses come roaring back. The harm from this kind of rhetoric is real and measurable.
“Here in Pennsylvania, we are taking action to protect families. Governor Josh Shapiro has been clear that our commonwealth will continue to follow expert-recommended immunization guidance, protect access to vaccines and support evidence-based public health policy. We can and must take every step available to ensure that families can access vaccines recommended by medical experts.
“But state action alone cannot fully undo the damage caused by events like this one. Public rallies that spread vaccine misinformation are not benign. They are harmful. They are dangerous. And they put children — especially infants and medically vulnerable kids — at risk.
“I will continue to stand with Governor Shapiro, with pediatricians and public health experts, and with families who want to keep their children healthy and safe.”
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