In announcing new autism prevalence data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. distorted scientific research to argue that there is an “epidemic” of autism that must be due to an "environmental toxin.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s push to collect troves of personal medical data to find the cause of autism has researchers and patient advocates questioning whether his plan to cast a wide net makes it easier to pick and choose information that supports certain theories — including the debunked idea that vaccines cause autism.

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. attributed increasing autism rates to environmental toxins. Autism researchers told PolitiFact that lacks evidence and omits other important factors such as growing awareness that help explain the increase.