Although mRNA vaccines saved millions of lives during the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. incorrectly argued they are ineffective to justify the Department of Health and Human Service’s recent decision to cancel $500 million in government-funded research projects to develop new vaccines using the technology.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said this week that he's pulling the plug on nearly $500 million in funding for the development of mRNA vaccines. Here's how they work. Vaccines using mRNA technology weren’t immune to the latest round of federal research cuts.