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RFK Jr. Removes All 17 Members of CDC Vaccine Advisory Panel

Citing conflicts of interest, he scheduled a June 25–27 meeting to seat new members to restore public confidence 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)
U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testifies before the Senate Committee on Appropriations hearing on the Department of Health and Human Services budget, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 20, 2025. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno/File Photo
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Overview

  • Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced on June 9 that he dismissed all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, marking the first time an HHS secretary has fully overhauled the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel
  • He justified the mass dismissal by citing pervasive conflicts of interest and noting that Biden-era terms would have blocked Trump administration appointments until 2028
  • Sen. Patty Murray and the American Medical Association warned the unprecedented move risks politicizing vaccine guidance and undermining a data-driven review process
  • Sen. Bill Cassidy said Kennedy broke a pledge to preserve the panel’s membership and cautioned that replacements could hold anti-vaccine views
  • HHS must fill the vacant seats before the committee reconvenes in Atlanta from June 25 to 27 to review recommendations on COVID-19, influenza, RSV and other immunizations