Adams, who served as surgeon general during the first Trump administration, said Kennedy's assertions about the efficacy of mRNA vaccines are "simply not true."

In justifying the government's termination of $500 million in funding for mRNA vaccine projects, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. falsely claimed mRNA vaccines "fail to protect effectively" against COVID-19 and suggested they are unsafe.

In an interview with CBS’s “Face the Nation,” Adams said Kennedy’s reaction was inadequate, while also taking issue with his past criticism of the agency and his questioning of the safety and efficacy of vaccines.