The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, led by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., terminated nearly half a billion dollars in funding for mRNA vaccine research under BARDA. This move, framed as a strategic pivot to focus on broader platform technologies, contradicts substantial scientific evidence supporting mRNA vaccine efficacy and safety. The decision triggered concern among scientists and national security experts over preparedness for future pandemics and bioterror threats, with implications for innovation and U.S. global health leadership.