‘No mRNA Vaccine Funding Has Been Canceled,’ HHS Says

Written by Michael Nevradakis, Ph.D. on March 25, 2025. Posted in Current News

Federal support for mRNA vaccine research hasn’t been canceled despite media reports to the contrary, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) told The Defender today.

KFF Health News last week reported that the Institutes of Health (NIH) had directed scientists to remove references to mRNA technology from their grant applications, suggesting the agency might be planning to terminate future research on the technology.

According to KFF Health News, Acting NIH Director Matthew Memoli sent an agency-wide email last week instructing that any research or grants involving mRNA vaccines be reported directly to the White House and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

But in a statement provided to The Defender, Emily G. Hilliard, HHS deputy press secretary, said NIH has not cut funding for mRNA vaccine research.

“A data call was conducted by NIH to understand what NIH is funding on mRNA vaccines,” Hilliard said. “No mRNA vaccine funding has been canceled.”

KFF Health News reportedly reviewed emails from two unnamed researchers, one from Philadelphia and one from New York, whose NIH grants were “flagged” because they contained references to mRNA vaccine research.

“Scientists relayed their experiences on the condition of anonymity for fear of professional retaliation by the Trump administration,” KFF Health News reported.

The same report quoted an unnamed “former government official familiar with internal discussions” who said the Trump administration intends to eliminate some grants for mRNA research. However, the timing of these cuts remains “unclear.”

According to KFF Health News, the NIH is funding at least 130 studies involving mRNA technology, examining treatments for conditions and diseases including flu, AIDS and cancer. A March 8 KFF Health News report said clinical trials studying mRNA vaccines for melanoma and Zika are also in progress.

NIH, which has a $47 billion budget, operates under HHS.

Last week, the NIH announced it would defund or reduce 42 “vaccine hesitancy” grants the agency was funding.

Memoli is temporarily leading the NIH pending the confirmation of Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a Stanford University professor of health policy, co-author of the Great Barrington Declaration and President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead NIH.

mRNA technology under fire worldwide from scientists, physicians

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), COVID-19 vaccines are safe. Over 655 million mRNA COVID-19 vaccines — manufactured by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna — were administered in the U.S. as of April 2023.

However, KFF Health News acknowledged that a growing number of scientists are calling for a ban on mRNA products.

“Groups opposed to the mRNA technology have built a vast and well-funded legal, marketing, and social media network” drawing attention to the “dearth of long-term safety data” for mRNA vaccines and incidence of serious adverse events, KFF Health News reported.

Indeed, many scientists and physicians worldwide have criticized the vaccines and the mRNA technology. Some have recommended a moratorium on the vaccines, while others have called for an outright ban.

“The mRNA platform has repeatedly demonstrated failure and caused catastrophic harm,” said epidemiologist Nicolas Hulscher. “Approximately 80% of Americans now reject mRNA technology, likely due to widespread concerns over injuries, permanent disabilities and fatalities among their family and friends.”

“It’s time to use common sense and discontinue support for further mRNA injection development,” Hulscher said.

Internal medicine physician Dr. Clayton J. Baker said billions of dollars have already been spent on mRNA research, with little to show for it.

“What have taxpayers got in return? Two ineffective COVID products that have the most VAERS [Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System]-reported vaccine-related deaths and vaccine injuries in history by a country mile,” Baker said.

“The mRNA platform has not one, but several mechanisms of harm,” Baker added. “The government should not be funding any more research regarding this platform.”

Psychotherapist Dr. Joseph Sansone, who is litigating to prohibit mRNA in Florida, said all funding for mRNA “should stop immediately.” He said the secretary of HHS has the power to immediately prohibit mRNA injections and “end the COVID emergency in the same manner that a president can immediately undo a prior president’s executive orders,” Sansone said.

In a Substack post today, Dr. Vinay Prasad, a professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco, listed five reasons why he believes mRNA vaccine science should be “deprioritized.”

According to Prasad, these reasons include the existence of non-mRNA alternatives, the lack of knowledge regarding the “long-term safety profile” of mRNA vaccines and the “damaged” public reputation of such vaccines.

KFF Health News reported that some NIH-funded mRNA research is exploring the development of therapeutic vaccines for cancer.

A March 12 NPR report quoted an unnamed NIH employee, who said NIH staff are “very worried” that mRNA grants will be cut and that there are “widespread concerns that this will limit the ability to combat pandemics and halt promising lifesaving cancer treatments.”

But Prasad questioned whether mRNA technology can ever lead to the development of a cancer vaccine.

Political pressure to investigate or ban mRNA vaccines builds 

In February, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) called upon the FDA to “immediately revoke approval” of mRNA shots. In November 2024, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) launched an investigation on the “development, safety, and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines.”

A growing number of U.S. states and communities, including Idaho, Kentucky and Montana, are pursuing legislative initiatives and resolutions to ban mRNA products.

Last year, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo called for a “halt in the use of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines” while Idaho’s Southwest District Health board announced it would no longer offer COVID-19 vaccines at its 30 locations, becoming the first health district in the U.S. to enact such a ban.

In October 2024, a report commissioned by the government of Slovakia called for the ban of “dangerous” mRNA vaccines.

Related articles in The Defender

• NIH Pulls Plug on ‘Vaccine Hesitancy’ Research — Will mRNA Products Be Next?
• Kentucky, Montana, Idaho Among States Looking to Ban mRNA Vaccines
• ‘Truth Is Becoming More Obvious’: Author of New Peer-reviewed Study Calls for Moratorium on COVID mRNA Vaccines
• Idaho Health Board First in U.S. to Defy CDC and FDA by Removing COVID Vaccines From Clinics
• Florida Surgeon General Calls for Halt in Use of COVID mRNA Vaccines
• Post-Vaccine Brain Fog, Immune Dysfunction Linked to Spike Protein That Can Persist in Body for Years

See more here The Defender

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