The Covid Contrarian Clubhouse Makes Its Mark on Trump’s Washington
There are numerous suppose tanks within the U.S. searching for to affect native, state, and nationwide coverage. A comparatively new one is making its mark in President Donald Trump’s Washington: the Texas-based Brownstone Institute.
Libertarian writer Jeffrey Tucker created the institute in 2021, fueled by backlash in opposition to covid lockdowns and different pandemic-era insurance policies. His institute’s covid contrarians search to restrict the federal government’s position in defending folks from illness. In latest months, folks with ties to the group have catapulted to the very best ranges of the U.S. authorities.
No less than eight folks with ties to the Brownstone Institute maintain or not too long ago held senior positions at federal well being businesses or key roles advising the federal government, together with on the Nationwide Institutes of Well being, on the FDA, and on a key vaccine panel that advises the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention.
These persons are already altering the course of U.S. public well being coverage. For instance, folks with ties to the institute have sown doubt about covid vaccines and routine childhood immunizations, dismissing widespread proof that they’re protected and that the advantages outweigh the dangers.
“They’ve efficiently positioned their ideology contained in the mechanism that determines U.S. vaccine coverage,” stated Jake Scott, a doctor at Stanford Medication who makes a speciality of infectious illnesses. “It’s very, very troubling.”
The Brownstone Institute’s web site says it really works “to help writers, legal professionals, scientists, economists, and different folks of braveness who’ve been professionally purged and displaced in the course of the upheaval of our instances.”
“There’s a hazard related to a state-imposed orthodoxy,” Tucker advised KFF Well being Information. “I feel Brownstone has an ethical obligation to take care of dissidents and create settings wherein they’re capable of take a look at their concepts in opposition to folks with whom they disagree.”
Brownstone’s critics say its associates make excessive claims about vaccines and promote anti-vaccine messages.
“They’ve been prepared to publish articles of some very excessive anti-vaccine folks,” stated Dorit Reiss, a professor at the College of California Legislation-San Francisco targeted on vaccine-related authorized and coverage points.
The nonprofit reported almost $7.4 million in contributions, grants, and different funds from 2021 to 2024.
Regardless of the ascendance of these with ties to his group, Tucker stated that “anyone who thinks that by some means Brownstone is a few large plot, it’s loopy.” He stated he’s not in common contact with Well being and Human Providers Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose division oversees the CDC, FDA, and NIH.
“I don’t have any affect,” Tucker stated.
KFF Well being Information is a nationwide newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about well being points and is likely one of the core working packages at KFF—an unbiased supply of well being coverage analysis, polling, and journalism. Study extra about KFF.
USE OUR CONTENT
This story could be republished totally free (particulars).
We encourage organizations to republish our content material, freed from cost. Right here’s what we ask:
You will need to credit score us as the unique writer, with a hyperlink to our kffhealthnews.org website. If attainable, please embrace the unique writer(s) and KFF Well being Information” within the byline. Please protect the hyperlinks within the story.
It’s necessary to notice, not all the things on kffhealthnews.org is out there for republishing. If a narrative is labeled “All Rights Reserved,” we can’t grant permission to republish that merchandise.
Have questions? Tell us at KHNHelp@kff.org
