Housing and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will address reporters Wednesday morning with remarks focused on autism in the U.S., after he pledged recently to find the cause of the disorder.
Kennedy’s vow has been criticized by advocates, who called his comments “misleading” and “unrealistic.”
The ex-environmental lawyer has previously promoted debunked theories that childhood vaccines were somehow connected to rising rates of autism — an issue that was brought up during his confirmation hearings.
His comments also come after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a new report earlier this week showing that 1 in every 31 children were diagnosed with autism in 2022. The latest CDC data continues a trend of increases from previous years which researchers have largely attributed to better screening.
The news conference is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. EDT.
Watch the live video above.