U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said today that a research effort by his agency will reveal “what has caused the autism epidemic” by September 2025.

”By September, we will know what has caused the autism epidemic,” Kennedy said during a full meeting of President Donald Trump’s (R) cabinet. “The autism rate, the most recent numbers we think are about 1 in 31 … up from 1 in 10,000 when I was a kid.”

“We’ve launched a massive research effort that’s gonna involve hundreds of scientists from around the world … and we’ll be able to eliminate those exposures,” said Kennedy.

Trump responded by saying, “Think about that. 1 in 10,000 had autism, and now it’s 1 in 31.”

“Not 31,000—31. That is a horrible statistic,” said Trump. “There’s got to he something artificial out there that’s doing this.”

“So you think you’re gonna have a pretty good idea?” Asked Trump.

”We will know by September,” said Kennedy.

Kennedy, Jr. was appointed as HHS Secretary after Trump’s re-election in November 2024, and was approved by the U.S. Senate in February 2025. He endorsed Donald Trump in the 2024 general election after running as an independent presidential candidate following an initial campaign in the Democratic primary. Kennedy is the founder and former chairman of Children’s Health Defense, an organization focused on public health policy and vaccine safety.