In his first news conference as secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Wednesday that rising rates of autism prevalence in the US reflect a “preventable” crisis-level epidemic that has been caused by an environmental toxin.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks during a news conference on the Autism report by the CDC at the Hubert Humphrey Building Auditorium in Washington, Wednesday, April 16,

Environmental contributors to autism are behind its rising prevalence, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said on Wednesday without scientific evidence, adding he plans to look at everything from mold to medicine to identify them.

Kennedy Jr.'s statement that children with autism will "never pay taxes, never hold a job" has sparked sharp backlash online. Orlando Congressman Maxwell Alejandro Frost said the health secretary's remark was a "flat-out lie" and "further stigmatizes autism.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Wednesday took aim at the CDC’s new report on rising autism rates, declaring it “a preventable disease” caused by “environmental exposure.” NBC’s Anne Thompson reports for TODAY.