Particle.news
Download on the App Store
47 ARTICLES
·
4w ago

Kennedy Dismisses All Members of CDC Vaccine Advisory Panel

Citing conflicts of interest among Biden appointees, he announced plans for an independent panel to rebuild trust in vaccine recommendations.

FILE - 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, April 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)
Image
WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 22: U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. talks about a new Make America Healthy Again Commission report in the East Room of the White House on May 22, 2025 in Washington, DC. The commission, which is tasked with studying the potential causes for the "childhood chronic disease crisis," recommends reassessing the nation’s childhood vaccine schedule, scrutinizing ultra-processed foods and studying pesticides used in commercial farming. The Trump administration has proposed a FY2026 budget of $94 billion for the Department of Health and Human Services -- a reduction of about 26-percent from the 2025 level -- cutting programs and staff at the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Image

Overview

  • HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. used his authority to retire all 17 current members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices in an unprecedented overhaul.
  • He argued that Biden-appointed advisers faced perceived conflicts of interest and would have retained control of the panel until 2028 without intervention.
  • Kennedy pledged that new appointees will have no direct ties to the vaccine industry and will exercise independent judgment on safety and efficacy.
  • Leading health organizations, including the American Medical Association, cautioned that removing experienced experts could erode public confidence and hinder immunization efforts during a measles resurgence.
  • Senate Health Committee Chair Bill Cassidy said Kennedy broke a prior assurance on preserving the panel’s makeup and HHS aims to fill all vacancies before the June 25–27 ACIP meeting in Atlanta.