January 21, 2026
(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) — This week, STAT News reported that senior CDC officials have described the loss of the United State’s measles elimination state status as ‘the cost of doing business.’ Nine different states have reported measles outbreaks—including South Carolina, where there are over 640 confirmed cases, almost exclusively among unvaccinated children. In response, 314 Action President Shaughnessy Naughton released the following statement:
“Allowing thousands of children to get sick with a preventable disease isn’t the cost of doing business—it’s a public health failure. This is cold, callous and cruel, and underscores how little RFK Jr.’s HHS cares about protecting American children. We cannot normalize an administration that treats children as collateral damage.
“The message from RFK Jr.’s CDC is clear: measles is coming to a state near you. Republicans who don’t immediately condemn these comments are not only endorsing RFK Jr.’s dangerous agenda, but aiding and abetting the measles outbreak. 314 Action will continue to lead the fight against anti-science Republicans in 2026 by recruiting and electing doctors and scientists to office.”
314 Action is working with a record number of STEM candidates running for office in 2026. In response to RFK Jr.’s attacks on science and health care, 314 Action launched Guardians of Public Health, a first-of-its-kind $25 million initiative to elect 100 new doctors to federal, statewide, and gubernatorial offices by 2030.
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Since his nomination, 314 Action has been a leader in holding RFK Jr. accountable and continues the work through an ongoing seven-figure accountability campaign. 314 Action led the calls for his resignation and investigation into his HHS.