Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday removed all 17 members of the federal vaccine advisory panel — the group that guides which shots are recommended for Americans.
In a Wall Street Journal op-ed, Kennedy accused the committee of being a “rubber stamp for any vaccine” and plagued by conflicts of interest. He said the move is necessary to restore trust.
Health experts say it could do the opposite — especially during a growing measles outbreak and declining childhood vaccination rates. Some top medical groups are alarmed. The American Academy of Pediatrics called the move part of an "escalating effort by the Administration to silence independent medical expertise and stoke distrust in lifesaving vaccines."
WHAT THEY DO
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, ACIP, makes official recommendations that shape public health policy and insurance coverage. Most of the members, who typically serve four-year cycles and are not political appointees, have backgrounds in pediatricians, epidemiologists, immunologists, or other sciences. Committee members also must disclose any potential conflicts of interest at the start of each public meeting.
Kennedy, who has long criticized the panel and founded an anti-vaccine group, has already forced out top vaccine scientists and altered federal vaccine guidance.
As Health Secretary, Kennedy has the authority to make these changes, but the sweeping ouster is unprecedented.
The CDC committee is set to meet June 25–27 on several vaccines, and HHS says the meeting will proceed. That gives the agency about two weeks to fill the panel.
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