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9h ago

RFK Jr. Dismisses Entire CDC Vaccine Advisory Panel, Installs Controversial Replacements

His appointment of eight new members known for vaccine skepticism has alarmed experts ahead of the panel’s late June meeting

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US Senator Bernie Sanders, Independent from Vermont, questions Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during a Senate Finance Committee hearing on Kennedy's nomination to be Health and Human Services Secretary, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, January 29, 2025.
Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testifies before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions on Capitol Hill on May 14, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
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Overview

  • Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired all 17 members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on June 9, calling for a “clean sweep” to rebuild public confidence
  • Two days later he appointed eight new members, including prominent COVID-19 vaccine skeptics and misinformation advocates such as Dr. Robert Malone
  • The ousted advisers published a JAMA op-ed warning that the abrupt overhaul “critically weakened” the U.S. vaccine program and could roll back decades of immunization gains
  • Senior CDC scientist Fiona Havers resigned in protest, saying she no longer trusts that data will be used with objective scientific rigor
  • Lawmakers led by Bernie Sanders have demanded an inquiry as the reconstituted panel prepares to meet June 25–27 to vote on vaccine recommendations