The administration's move drew sharp criticism from outside experts. "This decision puts the lives and health of the American people at risk," said Dr. Ashish Jha, the dean of the Brown School of Public Health, who served as President Biden's COVID-19 response coordinator. "Bird Flu is a well known threat and the virus has continued to evolve. If the virus develops the ability to spread from person to person, we could see a large number of people get sick and die from this infection," Jha said. "The program to develop the next generation of vaccines was essential to protecting Americans. The attack by the Administration on the mRNA vaccine platform is absurd."

The Trump administration on Wednesday canceled a $766 million contract with Moderna, ending a major source of funding for efforts to develop a vaccine against flu viruses, including H5N1 bird flu. The government first awarded Moderna the contract through the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, which allocates funds to address potential pandemic outbreaks. The money was awarded in July of 2024 and in January of 2025. The U.S. Health and Human Services Department notified Moderna on Wednesday that it was withdrawing the funding.

The company said it was notified Wednesday that the Health and Human Services Department had withdrawn funds awarded in July 2024 and in January to pay for development and purchase of its investigational vaccine. The funds were awarded through the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, or BARDA, a program that focuses on medical treatments for potential pandemics. The new vaccine, called mRNA-1018, used the same technology that allowed development and rollout of vaccines to fight Covid-19 in record time. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has expressed deep skepticism regarding mRNA vaccines, despite real-world evidence that the vaccines are safe and saved millions of lives.

HHS cancels over $700 million in funding for Moderna bird flu vaccine. Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel expressed disappointment in the Trump administration's decision to pull federal funding. The $590 million contract was awarded by the Biden administration in January, to develop an mRNA-based vaccine.

The Trump administration has canceled $766 million awarded to drugmaker Moderna Inc. to develop a vaccine against potential pandemic influenza viruses, including H5N1 bird flu.