The Department of Health and Human Services has canceled seven federal grants worth millions of dollars to the American Academy of Pediatrics, citing misalignment with agency priorities.
Officials said the grants conflicted with HHS priorities due to the group’s use of “identity-based language,” including references to racial disparities and “pregnant people,” and insufficient emphasis in at least one program on nutrition and chronic disease prevention. Three grants were issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and four by the Health Resources and Services Administration.
“These elements are not incidental; they are woven through the title, narrative and work plans,” CDC Office of Grants Services Director Jamie Legier wrote, adding that the projects no longer align with HHS and CDC priority areas. Several termination notices cited a federal statute allowing cancellation when an award no longer advances agency goals.
The AAP has criticized HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for unilateral changes to vaccine policy and for dismissing the CDC’s independent vaccine advisers. Kennedy has accused the group of conflicts of interest tied to pharmaceutical funding and questioned whether its vaccine recommendations reflect public health interests.
The AAP and other medical groups are suing HHS and Kennedy in federal court over coronavirus vaccine policy changes, seeking to have Kennedy’s advisory panel dismantled and reconstituted. AAP received $18.4 million in HHS grants this year, according to a federal database.
