Rep. Jake Auchincloss, a member of the U.S. Congress representing Massachusetts’ 4th district, has recently shared a series of tweets regarding statements made by RFK Jr., focusing on vaccine misinformation. Auchincloss replaced Joe Kennedy III in Congress in 2021 and has been active in addressing public health issues.
On January 30, 2025, Rep. Auchincloss tweeted about RFK Jr.’s claim on Fox News that vaccines cause autism, a statement that has been widely debunked. He highlighted the impact of vaccines by stating “the same vaccines that have saved the lives of 146 million children under 5 years old over the last five decades.”
In another tweet posted on the same day, Auchincloss addressed another claim by RFK Jr., who stated there is “zero evidence that the flu shot prevents any hospitalizations or any deaths.” He also mentioned RFK Jr.’s belief that receiving a flu shot increases one’s likelihood to transmit the flu sixfold. Rep. Auchincloss countered this misinformation by stating “(This is false. A flu shot does not make you…)”.
Furthermore, Rep. Auchincloss posed a question regarding RFK Jr.’s stance on annual flu vaccinations for Americans, asking “Will RFK Jr recommend that Americans get an annual flu vaccine, like all his predecessors have done?”
