HHS Refuses to Say What An Anti-Vaccine Activist Is Doing at the Agency – Image for illustrative purposes only (Image credits: Pexels)
The Department of Health and Human Services has yet to deliver promised details about David Geier’s role more than three weeks after Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. committed to sharing them with lawmakers. A Senate office confirmed that no contract or description of his duties has arrived, despite an initial pledge to respond within days. The delay has left questions about Geier’s responsibilities and access to federal data unanswered at a time when the agency oversees critical public health programs.
Long Record of Discredited Claims
David Geier and his late father Mark built careers around theories linking vaccines to autism, theories rejected by major medical organizations. Their studies faced repeated criticism for flawed methods and misuse of government data. In one case, the American Academy of Pediatrics identified conceptual errors and inappropriate handling of vaccine safety records in a paper the Geiers published.
Mark Geier’s medical license was revoked in 2012 after he prescribed Lupron, a hormone treatment normally used for certain cancers or to chemically castrate offenders, to children with autism. David Geier, who holds only a bachelor’s degree in biology, received a $10,000 fine in 2011 for practicing medicine without a license. Both men were barred in 2004 from the federal Vaccine Safety Datalink after officials determined they had attempted to combine data files in ways that risked exposing private medical information.
Advocates and Lawmakers Raise Alarms
Autism organizations reacted sharply when Geier’s employment at HHS became public earlier this year. The Autistic Self-Advocacy Network described the hiring as an abandonment of the government’s duty to protect public health and rely on established science. Senator Ben Ray Luján’s office has pressed for specifics on the research questions Geier is examining and any agreements meant to protect patient privacy.
“Three weeks after Secretary Kennedy committed to providing details regarding David Geier’s work at HHS (something he committed to doing within 3 days), our office has yet to hear from HHS on anything related,” a spokesperson for the senator stated. The lack of response has kept uncertainty high about whether Geier has access to sensitive records on millions of Americans.
Pattern of Shifts at the Agency
Geier’s position fits into a series of moves at HHS that have drawn scrutiny. The agency has reduced the role of the federal vaccine court and removed every member of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, leaving the panel in limbo after a court blocked new appointments. Officials also removed an FDA webpage that warned against unproven autism treatments once promoted by the Geiers, including chelation therapy.
Recent reporting indicates that broader efforts to investigate vaccine links to autism and autoimmune conditions continue quietly, even as public emphasis on those inquiries has been scaled back. These developments have left some observers concerned that long-settled scientific questions are being revisited without new evidence.
What Remains Unclear
Neither Geier nor HHS has responded to requests for comment on his current duties. The Senate Finance Committee chair’s office has likewise declined to comment on the status of the promised contract. Until more information surfaces, the precise nature of Geier’s work and any safeguards around data use stay unknown.
The episode highlights ongoing tension between longstanding scientific consensus on vaccines and the direction of federal health policy. Lawmakers and advocacy groups continue to seek clarity on how decisions at HHS will affect research standards and public trust in the months ahead.
