RFK Jr Sweeps Clean CDC Vaccine Advisory Panel, Aiming to Bolster Public Confidence

In a sweeping move, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr has removed all current members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), the independent panel that advises the CDC on vaccine use.1 The announcement, made by the secretary in a Wall Street Journal opinion article, comes exactly one week after his department was called out for exacerbating public distrust by leaders from the American College of Physicians (ACP) in an Annals of Internal Medicine commentary.2

Kennedy, a longtime critic of vaccines, said the decision reflects his intent to restore public trust in vaccine policy.1 “HHS will put the restoration of public trust above any pro- or antivaccine agenda,” he said Monday. However, his critics say the move could politicize vaccine guidance and erode confidence in public health institutions.

Paul Offit, MD, a former ACIP member and codeveloper of the rotavirus vaccine, emphasized to Helen Branswell of STAT that the committee has played a vital role in improving public health for both children and adults over the years.3 Offit, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, said that ACIP members deserve recognition, not dismissal.

Offit also urged Sen Bill Cassidy (R, Louisiana), chair of the Senate Health Committee, to publicly address the decision to disband ACIP. Cassidy held a key swing vote on Kennedy's appointment after voicing serious concerns about his vaccine skepticism during confirmation hearings, and the physician appeared hesitant to support the nomination.4 He ultimately voted in favor of Kennedy, but only after securing several commitments—among them, a pledge to preserve the vaccine advisory committee.

In last week’s article, the ACP president, Jason M. Goldman, MD, MACP, and the executive vice president and CEO, Darilyn V. Moyer, MD, MACP, criticized the CDC decision to no longer recommend routine COVID-19 vaccines for pregnant women and healthy children, as well as the FDA’s recent limit on COVID-19 booster vaccines, which they said will complicate the ACIP’s ability to approve off-label vaccine use and ensure access through Affordable Care Act (ACA) requirements.2

According to Kennedy, some of the ousted members were last-minute appointees by the Biden administration, and without the overhaul, the Trump administration would not have had the opportunity to appoint a majority of new members until 2028.1 He also alleged that ACIP has been “plagued with persistent conflicts of interest and has become little more than a rubber stamp for any vaccine.”

In a sweeping move, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr has removed all current members of ACIP.

Image credit: Maksym Yemelyanov - stock.adobe.com

This sentiment seems to echo across the administration, as Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, recently told CNN that "the NIH [National Institutes of Health] has been a bureaucracy that we believe has been weaponized against the American people,” and that a proposed restructuring would refocus NIH’s mission and reduce unnecessary bureaucracy.5

However, HHS agencies, including ACIP, are governed by longstanding and stringent policies regarding financial conflicts of interest, and there have been no documented breaches in recent years.1 All members of federal vaccine advisory panels must disclose potential conflicts and recuse themselves when necessary.

The decision comes on the heels of the resignation of Lakshmi Panagiotakopoulos, MD, MPH, a pediatric infectious disease expert and former coleader of ACIP, who stepped down last week, citing her belief that she could no longer serve the most vulnerable members of the US population under current conditions.

The Biden administration had previously relied on ACIP’s rigorous and transparent process to guide pandemic-era vaccine deployment and address issues of equity and safety. The committee's scientific integrity has long been viewed as critical to maintaining public confidence in the nation’s immunization strategy.

Now, with Kennedy’s overhaul, the future direction of federal vaccine recommendations may be headed into uncertain and potentially contentious territory.

References

1. Constantino AK. RFK Jr. removes all members of CDC panel advising U.S. on vaccines. CNBC. June 9, 2025. Accessed June 9, 2025. https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/09/rfk-jr-cdc-panel-vaccines.html
2. Grossi G. ACP experts say FDA, CDC moves may undermine COVID-19 vaccine coverage for millions. AJMC®. June 2, 2025. Accessed June 9, 2025. https://www.ajmc.com/view/acp-experts-say-fda-cdc-moves-may-undermine-covid-19-vaccine-coverage-for-millions
3. Branswell H. Health secretary RFK Jr. abruptly fires CDC vaccine advisory panel. STAT. June 9, 2025. Accessed June 9, 2025. https://www.statnews.com/2025/06/09/rfk-jr-fires-every-member-of-cdc-vaccine-expert-panel-acip/
4. Grossi G. RFK Jr fails to offer a clear Medicaid, Medicare strategy. AJMC. January 29, 2025. Accessed June 9, 2025. https://www.ajmc.com/view/rfk-jr-fails-to-offer-a-clear-medicaid-medicare-strategy
5. Grossi G. White House proposes deep cuts to HHS in FY2026 budget, reducing NIH to 8 centers. AJMC. June 4, 2025. Accessed June 9, 2025. https://www.ajmc.com/view/white-house-proposes-deep-cuts-to-hhs-in-fy2026-budget-reducing-nih-to-8-centers