Kennedy Jr. to meet. Singer’s brother and daughter are two of the millions living with autism in the United States, and part of a much larger community that has very publicly expressed feeling hurt and disrespected by the US Health and Human Services secretary’s description of who they are and how they live.

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.

Robert F Kennedy said people with autism "will never pay taxes, they'll never hold a job, they'll never play baseball," in remarks that are now being criticised.