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6d ago

RFK Jr. Replaces Vaccine Advisory Panel With Skeptical Appointees

Critics warn that appointing members known for vaccine skepticism could erode public confidence ahead of critical guidance on COVID-19 boosters and other immunizations.

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
U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) speaks during a Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Senate Committee confirmation hearing on Marty Makary's nomination to be commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 6, 2025. REUTERS/Kent Nishimura/File Photo
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
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Overview

  • Robert F. Kennedy Jr. removed all 17 existing members of the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices shortly after his Senate confirmation as HHS secretary.
  • He named eight new panelists, many of whom have publicly questioned vaccine safety or served as paid expert witnesses against vaccine manufacturers.
  • One appointee is an MIT business professor with no medical credentials and another hasn’t taught at George Washington University in eight years, fueling concerns over expertise.
  • Kennedy argued the shake-up would restore trust in immunization policy despite his confirmation pledge to leave ACIP intact and critics’ warnings of the opposite effect.
  • The revamped committee is scheduled to meet June 25–27 to review recommendations on COVID-19 boosters, flu, HPV, RSV and meningococcal vaccines.