Trump administration cancels $766 million Moderna contract to fight pandemic flu

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: AP

Updated 8:19 PM EDT, May 28, 2025


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

The company said it was notified Wednesday that the Health and Human Services Department had withdrawn funds awarded in July 2024 and in January to pay for development and purchase of its investigational vaccine.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.

The cancelation came as Moderna announced positive interim results from an early-stage trial of the vaccine that targeted H5 bird flu virus, tested in 300 healthy adults. “While the termination of funding from HHS adds uncertainty, we are pleased by the robust immune response and safety profile observed in this interim analysis,” the company said in a statement.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/moderna-influenza-vaccine-terminated-ca14251649cf6a065342196a8b021f92

[lapfog_1]

1. I hope Bill Gates restores the funding

and maybe I can travel to someplace in the world where it will be available in a few years.

[IrishAfricanAmerican]

28. Or Bezos ex-wife, or Dolly... Somebody!!

[bucolic_frolic]

2. This is where shit gets real

Scary, and you're on your own, survival-of-the-fittest!

[orangecrush]

11. Survival of the rich

Fixed it.

[gab13by13]

3. They are going to push an old flu shot from decades ago that

guesses what the flu will be. Probably Krasnov got a kick back.

If that's the flu shot they put out there, I'm not getting it, I will wash my hands frequently.

[Tanuki]

4. They know that the elderly are most likely to die from flu,

along with people with significant health conditions and those who don't have access to quality healthcare. They figure they will save on Social Security, Medicare, and other earned benefits if they can maneuver a mass extinction without the trouble and bad publicity of gas chambers. They are evil monsters.

[Irish_Dem]

24. Yes the point of the updated flu shot is to prevent hospitalizations and death.

Flu shot is estimated to save 5000 deaths a year.

[SergeStorms]

30. Like Ebenezer Scrooge.....

"Decreasing the surplus population."

Penny wise and pound foolish, are these Trumpublicans. Freaking idiots, say I.

[Mossfern]

5. He wants to kill us.

It's very clear.
Take away his healthcare - he doesn't deserve it.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

6. Worm-Brain says pregnant women and young children shouldn't get COVID booster shots.

Didn't he testify that he wasn't anti-vax at his confirmation hearing?

I guess bringing back measles -- which had been eradicated by vaccine -- wasn't enough. Now he wants to restart the COVID pandemic.

[Bengus81]

8. Yeah...just like several Trump picks for SC LIED under oath about Roe v Wade

What does raising your right hand and being sworn in at the start of those hearings mean anymore? It's a FUCKING joke.

[SergeStorms]

31. Every single person....

who needed Senate confirmation has lied. The ability to lie under oath, and unwavering sycophancy to His Assholiness, are the only requisites in this maladministration.

[CBHagman]

25. I hope you put the following two sentences before as many people as you can.

I guess bringing back measles -- which had been eradicated by vaccine -- wasn't enough. Now he wants to restart the COVID pandemic.

Deaths from measles in the 21st century should be enough to shame anti-vaxxers before everyone on the planet, but it's going to take more than that to change the narrative. The images from the COVID-19 pandemic are still recent enough, but people still need to have their memories reinforced.

[lark]

7. The vaccine was too effectie so it must be stopped so he can continue to try and kill us off & steal our $$.

Stupidity and pure malice in action!!

[DENVERPOPS]

23. He is just trying to set a

new personal best record of people killed due to his actions/inactions the first time around.....Estimates were 500K died that shouldn't have......

If someone were to sit down and make a list of every single thing Putin would want done, to destroy the U.S. it would closely follow every last thing Trump is doing and has done. Last term AND even more so this term..............

[orangecrush]

9. They want us dead

Wake up, people.

[Botany]

18. Yup!

Make no mistake about it. They want us dead and Krasnov is good with that.

[ancianita]

40. Kinda stupid of them really,

since the source of their wealth are the very people they want to let die off. They stupidly fail to see or accept that the greatest asset of a nation is its people.

There is the financial economy. But underlying that is the Real economy, the wealth producting human labor force, even with AI -- which is being trained out of its errors by low-paid humans even as we speak -- this book explains the ecological devastation AI is bringing to both earth and humans.

Recommended:

[The Wizard]

10. Deliberate neglence that leads to

mass death as a form of attrition that has the stench of "Mein Kampf." It's about getting Social Security recipients to die sooner rather than later. Trump is Hitler in a cheap disguise with a TV network poisoning minds and bodies for cheap political gain.

[nuxvomica]

12. I guess RFK Jr. is our Lysenko

Lysenkoism (Russian: лысенковщина, romanized: lysenkovshchina [ɫɨˈsʲɛnkəfɕːɪnə]; Ukrainian: лисенківщина, romanized: lysenkivščyna [lɪˈsɛnkiu̯ʃtʃɪnɐ]) was a political campaign led by the Soviet biologist Trofim Lysenko against genetics and science-based agriculture in the mid-20th century, rejecting natural selection in favour of a form of Lamarckism, as well as expanding upon the techniques of vernalization and grafting.

More than 3,000 mainstream biologists were dismissed or imprisoned, and numerous scientists were executed in the Soviet campaign to suppress scientific opponents.[1][2][3][4] The president of the Soviet Agriculture Academy, Nikolai Vavilov, who had been Lysenko's mentor, but later denounced him, was sent to prison and died there, while Soviet genetics research was effectively destroyed.[3][4] Research and teaching in the fields of neurophysiology, cell biology, and many other biological disciplines were harmed or banned.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lysenkoism

[IronLionZion]

13. Make Americans Die Unnecessarily Again

[mdbl]

14. Sounds like another lawsuit

[bmichaelh]

15. Wrongful termination

Hopefully, there is a wrongful termination clause.

Many people who voted for Trump should be grateful that RFK Jr was not around during the first round of COVID.

[turbinetree]

16. Maybe the traitor sick fuck should drink raw unpasteurized milk and get TB osteomyelitis of the bones...........

maybe he can go ask his fucking health guy and the FDA asshole what the cure is..................they probably don't even know how TB is transmitted..........just like the bird flu...........now watch they all will go and get the shots while the peons get nothing....................

[Martin68]

17. The President is trying to kill me.

[dchill]

19. Death-dealing motherfuckers with a profit motive twist.

[flashman13]

20. I repeat: I feel so much safer knowing our health and lives are in the hands of the MAGAts.

Instead of those pesky scientists.

I just bought a case of Vitamin A and 20 pounds of Ivermectin. I ain't afraid of no stinkin' viruses.

[sakabatou]

21. They either want more blood on their hands

Or have other companies (which they have shares in) make the vaccine.

[Initech]

22. What a total fucking piece of shit. Fuck him and fuck RFK Jr!

[azureblue]

26. He killed a half million Americans

He killed a half million Americans in his first term, due to his politicizing the Covid epidemic response, so what's another half mil or so?

[Attilatheblond]

27. Another facet of this turn agains Moderna: the much loved, always altruistic Dolly Parton

Face it, Trump HATES everybody, but especially those who are beloved by most people. He knows he is unlovable and thus tries to keep others from being appreciated. Hell, look what he has his flunkies doing to Joe Biden, the man who put together the team that saved America.

Dolly Parton gave a lot of money to help Moderna come up with covid vaccine. She puts books in the hands of young children in hopes of instilling a love of reading and learning. She is dangerous to the long range agenda of the American Fascists.

[flamingdem]

35. I did not know that about Dolly!

What a wonderful person. I need to read up on her life!

[Attilatheblond]

38. I didn't know she gave $1 million for Hurricane Helene relief until I was hunting up links to her Moderna support

https://www.vanityfair.com/style/story/donny-parton-hurricane-helene

I have little use for xians who talk but never walk the walk. The term Christian I reserve for those who practice rather than talk. Ms Parton walks the walk. She is a generous woman with heartfelt values.

Anytime you might need a light in the darkness that is today, look up Ms Parton. She is the real deal. She can afford to give generously, but she gives wisely too. Most of us have the option to give wisely of ourselves. There is light, even in these dark times. We all need reminders that there is light and goodness. Hope your journey is a bit easier for learning about what Dolly Parton shares with the world, often with little or no fanfare, just because she understands the importance of being good. Lots of people are good. Hold on to that and carry on.

[TommieMommy]

29. 😡😡😡😡

[slightlv]

32. well, shit!

I've only gotten the Moderna Covid vax since they became available. I react well to them. I don't want to change to an unknown with a possible reaction, given my autoimmune issues. Until now, they've been free to us via Medicare. I wonder if that's gonna get pulled now? Geesh! Almost 70 and I'm basically making myself a shut-in.

[flamingdem]

34. My first was Pfizer and prefer Moderna

Now we get nothing?

Not likely to stop my precautions now.

I'm often the lonely masker in stores and even on planes.

[slightlv]

46. I just went to the store for a few things last night.

Noticed there's still quite a few of us masking and taking other precautions. Hubby wipes down every bit of the shopping cart with disinfectant wipes before he'll let me touch it. I wish I could get it across to him that our kitchen counters could use a good cleansing whenever he washes dishes for me. To him, cleaning the kitchen means washing dishes... period. (LOL)

Seriously, tho... I think the last time I was a restaurant was to take my grandson out for his birthday back in Feb. Most of my friends are civilian DoD or Army contractors (and one an IRS employee). Everybody's kind of hunkered down at home, worrying when they're gonna get the axe. We used to have such a good life; I can actually remember laughing with people at times throughout the day. Not much of that these days anymore.

[flamingdem]

49. I'm glad to hear you're so careful

and have the support of your husband. I think we're about to see a summer wave so best to keep up the caution, imo. Doge has caused so much unnecessary damage. Something has to break our way!

[ancianita]

41. I got the first two shots from Moderna. The 4 other boosters from Pfizer. No reaction to either.

Pfizer has Moderna's vaccine research (since vaccine formulas were distributed by the Biden administration worldwide, anyway) and Pfizer is the industrial producer of vaccines that Moderna isn't.
So all hope is not lost. I think you can trust shots from Pfizer.

[flamingdem]

33. Moderna seems better than Pfizer

Not sure we'll even get Pfizer now. Bastards. The elderly really need the vaccine. Feels like euthanasia.

[riversedge]

36. My covid vaccine was Moderna-as were the bosters and although

I had a very mild case last year--stuffy nose mostly, I am disappointed with this decision.

I really did not know that I had covid--just thought it was a stuffy nose from a mild cold but I needed a physical before I had a total knee replacement and it popped up. I had to wait a month. actually 5 weeks.

[flamingdem]

37. I think I had Covid back in 2021

after my first two vaccine doses of Pfizer. I was tested late and it was negative so it could have also been flu. Two months later my hair fell out. Thinking that it was either the Covid or the vaccine. After that I've had Moderna twice. My hair didn't fall out. So this is bad news for me! I'll probably skip the Pfizer vaccine and just mask. I hope your knee is better!

[riversedge]

45. My knee feels real good-thanks for asking. Lots of therapy to get the right

exercises. I never heard of hair loss with the P. vaccine. Did it grow back??

[flamingdem]

50. Yes, it grew back. Took a long time

What I had was Alopecia Areata an immune disorder. Some people have it and end up bald - Will Smith's wife is one. Immune disorders can be impacted by the vaccine. Antibodies can get too high. That can be tested, I might do that before getting another vaccine.

There was documented hair loss from Covid too but the kind where it all comes out at once. Slightly different from what I had.

[Rocknation]

39. Moderna didn't pay Trump enough

on the front end?


Rocknation

[BumRushDaShow]

43. Moderna's vaccine development was assisted by teams under Dr. Fauci

'Nuff said.

[slightlv]

47. But it was all due to trumps original "Rush"

job to get vaccines for Covid out on the market ASAP. It was a whole project for him. But what can you expect from someone who probably can't tell you what he had for breakfast that day? (and I can say that! I'm old and clinging to every marble I have in my head! gryn)

[BumRushDaShow]

48. "Operation Warp Speed"

finally had its last original selectee - Novavax - approved.

[slightlv]

51. Real "Warp Speed" that was! nt

[BidenRocks]

42. When is it

Depraved Indifference to life?

[barbtries]

44. they're intent on killing us.

period.