RFK Jr. has yet another controversial opinion about autism that has sparked quite an outrage among those actively working to battle this disorder. The HHS Secretary has steered his focus towards autism as he has also launched a controversial probe to discover the cause of it. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is set to carry out this new initiative, which will be completed by September.
Like Donald Trump, Kennedy also firmly blames childhood vaccination for this developmental disability in children, despite the theory being dismissed by years of research.
Now, he has made another questionable claim. On April 20, RFK Jr. spoke about autism on The Cats Roundtable radio show on WABC 770 AM. He said autism “dwarfs the COVID epidemic and the impacts on our country.” He added, “Because COVID killed old people. Autism affects children and affects them at the beginning of their lives, the beginning of their productivity.”
“And it’s absolutely debilitating for them, their families, their communities and for our county — just the pure economic cost of autism.”
Kennedy further estimated that by 2035, this spectrum disorder will eventually cost the economy “$1 trillion dollars a year,” although he failed to cite the source for this figure.
RFK Jr: Autism Epidemic Will Cost $1 Trillion Per Year By 2035
“This is a preventable disease. We know it’s environmental exposure. Genes do not cause epidemics. They can provide a vulnerability, but you need an environmental toxin.”
Read more – https://t.co/gvRoA9smIQ pic.twitter.com/DJdylMy2si
— RCP Video (@rcpvideo) April 16, 2025
His recent remarks were just a continuation of the statement he made during a press conference on April 16. Kennedy said, “Autism destroys families,” adding, “These are kids who will never pay taxes. They’ll never hold a job. They’ll never play baseball. They’ll never write a poem. They’ll never go out on a date. Many of them will never use a toilet unassisted.”
However, people are not too happy about his constant controversial comments on autism, which many believe are promoting “outdated and harmful rhetoric” about kids with neurodevelopmental conditions.
The President of the Autism Science Foundation, Alison Singer, told CNN that through his statements, the Health Secretary “made it sound like these were people whose lives were worthless, when that couldn’t be further from the case.”
RFK JR: “Autism destroys families, but more importantly it destroys our greatest resource which is our children. These children should not be suffering like this. These kids will never hold a job, never play baseball, never go on a date. And we need to put an end to it.” pic.twitter.com/YOrSaXKeYt
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) April 16, 2025
Despite Trump and RFK Jr. expressing concerns over the seemingly growing rate of autism diagnoses, the actual scenario is a bit different. A CDC study published on April 15 estimates that only one in 31 kids in the United States will be diagnosed with this condition by the age of 8. Although it is a significant rise from the past two decades, experts state that it is not because of an increasing rate of people developing autism. Instead, it has a lot to do with awareness and doctors getting better at identifying the spectrum disorder correctly.
I won’t share RFK Jr.’s lies about autism.
It’s disgusting and dangerous.
If he had a shred of decency, he would apologize and resign.
Autistic people contribute every day to our nation’s greatness.
To every kid with autism, I’m in this fight all the way for you.
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) April 17, 2025
Dr. Alex Kolevzon, a regarded child and adolescent psychiatrist, told NBC News, “We’re not seeing an epidemic with autism.” He further emphasized, “Parents shouldn’t panic.”
Kennedy’s latest comments on autism also sparked outrage on social media platforms. On X (Twitter), one user wrote, “The way RFK Jr. talks about people with autism is disgusting.” Another added, “If he had a shred of decency, he would apologize and resign. Autistic people contribute every day to our nation’s greatness.”
“Robert Kennedy u should be ashamed of urself,” wrote comedian Rosie O’Donnell on Instagram, whose 12-year-old child, Clay, has been diagnosed with autism.
