GOP’s child-health gamble: vaccine rollbacks, nutrition cuts, and shrinking coverage

Michael Hiltzik argues that Republican policy moves, led by RFK Jr., undermine child health by first rolling back vaccine recommendations and enabling misinformation, then cutting nutrition programs like WIC and SNAP, and tightening Medicaid/ACA access. The result is higher disease risk (measles outbreaks), increased iron-deficiency anemia, and fewer children with insurance, all framed as fiscal discipline rather than anti-child policy. The piece also notes reduced state reporting on vaccination rates, which could mask the full impact, and contrasts these policy choices with rhetoric about family values.