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4w ago

Kennedy Tightens Grip on Vaccine Advisers, Spurs Legal, Political Pushback

Exclusion of scientific authorities from vaccine committees has prompted legal challenges, congressional probes, state countermeasures.

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Liaison members of the CDC's Advisory Committee On Immunization Practices don't vote at publich meetings but can participate by asking questions and commenting on presentations.
Secretary of Health & Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks alongside U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, during a ceremony announcing that major U.S. ice cream makers will phase out artificial colors by the end of 2027, at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Monday, July 14, 2025 in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
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Overview

  • The newly constituted Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted this summer to eliminate thimerosal from flu vaccines despite CDC data showing no evidence of harm.
  • In early August, HHS directed the CDC to remove liaison organizations such as the AMA and AAP from ACIP working groups, barring external health experts from private deliberations.
  • The American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics and other leading medical societies have filed lawsuits challenging Kennedy’s unilateral changes to vaccine recommendations.
  • Senate Democrats on the HELP Committee, led by Bernie Sanders, opened a formal investigation into the dismissal of all 17 ACIP members and subsequent vaccine policy shifts.
  • Kennedy’s abrupt cancellation of a U.S. Preventive Services Task Force meeting indicates potential plans to reshape another key preventive care advisory committee.