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3h ago

Kennedy’s Vaccine Panel Shake-Up Triggers Push to Delay Advisory Meeting

Citing inexperienced appointees alongside an unfilled CDC directorship, lawmakers urge postponement of the panel's vote on COVID-19, influenza, RSV vaccine recommendations.

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Senator Bill Cassidy, a Republican from Louisiana, speaks during a news conference following the Senate Republican policy luncheon at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, March 11, 2025. The House is scheduled to vote on a six-month spending bill that would make sure the whole government doesn't shut down, interrupting the fast start of President Donald Trump's second watch. Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Illustration depicting a fictional board game with paths leading to various forts or castles that each have a symbol representing the various professional groups that will affect vaccine policy.
US Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., (R) speaks with committee chairman Senator Bill Cassidy, Republican from Louisiana, before the start of a Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions hearing on the President's proposed budget request for fiscal year 2026 for the Department of Health and Human Services, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, May 14, 2025.

Overview

  • Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dismissed all 17 members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices earlier this month and appointed eight new members, including critics of mRNA vaccines.
  • Sen. Bill Cassidy wrote on X that the panel lacks sufficient expertise in microbiology, immunology and mRNA technology and has no Senate-confirmed CDC director to approve its recommendations.
  • Sen. Elizabeth Warren sent a letter demanding disclosures of conflicts of interest for appointees such as Dr. Robert Malone and Dr. Martin Kulldorff, who have served as paid vaccine skeptics.
  • The ACIP is set to meet June 25-26 to review data and vote on recommendations for COVID-19, influenza and RSV vaccines plus thimerosal-containing flu shots.
  • Public health experts warn that changes to ACIP’s composition and process could undermine vaccine confidence and delay fall immunization planning.