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RFK Jr. Fires CDC Vaccine Panel and Appoints Eight Critics to ACIP

He frames his shake-up as a bid to root out conflicts of interest, aiming to rebuild faith in vaccine recommendations

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on June 10, 2025 in Washington, D.C.
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Overview

  • On June 10, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dismissed all 17 members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, citing lax conflict-of-interest enforcement.
  • Two days later he tapped eight new advisers—including mRNA vaccine critic Robert Malone and herd-immunity proponent Martin Kulldorff—to serve on the pared-down panel.
  • The revamped ACIP is set to meet June 25–27 to review definitive safety and efficacy data for existing vaccine schedules and to debate guidance on COVID-19, HPV, influenza and RSV shots.
  • Leading medical groups and CDC staff have expressed alarm that the new members lack core immunology credentials and could erode public trust in vaccination.
  • Senator Bill Cassidy and other lawmakers who backed Kennedy’s confirmation are demanding guarantees that the committee will adhere to evidence-based decision making.