RFK fires entire vaccine committee at CDC
In a step the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) called “bold,” Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has dismissed all 17 members of the committee responsible for advising on clinical best practices and public health initiatives related to vaccines.
As it currently stands, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is no more—at least until HHS fills the seats with new nominees. The move comes after HHS postponed a meeting with vaccine experts to discuss public health policy related to immunizations.
The order was carried out in part to comply with an executive order from President Donald Trump that called for federal healthcare agencies to restore science to a “gold standard,” HHS confirmed in a statement.
“Today we are prioritizing the restoration of public trust above any specific pro- or anti-vaccine agenda,” Secretary Kennedy said. “The public must know that unbiased science—evaluated through a transparent process and insulated from conflicts of interest—guides the recommendations of our health agencies.”
Kennedy and HHS are referring to the sitting ACIP members, all of whom were appointed during Joe Biden’s administration. Thirteen of the 17 members were appointed in 2024—Biden’s final year in office, HHS added.
The agency argues that a purge was necessary for the Trump administration to enact its agenda, as the ACIP was not scheduled to be re-staffed until 2028.
“The prior administration made a concerted effort to lock in public health ideology and limit the incoming administration’s ability to take the proper actions to restore public trust in vaccines,” HHS wrote.
“A clean sweep is necessary to reestablish public confidence in vaccine science,” Kennedy said, adding that incoming members, once appointed, will “prioritize public health and evidence-based medicine” as opposed to serving as a “rubber stamp for industry profit-taking agendas.”
“The entire world once looked to American health regulators for guidance, inspiration, scientific impartiality, and unimpeachable integrity. Public trust has eroded. Only through radical transparency and gold-standard science will we earn it back,” he stated.
Spotlight on COVID boosters
At the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), hematologist-oncologist and health researcher Vinay Prasad, MD, has been nominated to lead the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, a sub-agency responsible for developing drug approval policy, with vaccines as a core focus.
Prasad has been vocal in his skepticism of public policy related to COVID-19, particularly compulsory vaccination and annual booster shots. He and FDA Commissioner Martin Makary, MD, recently published a paper in the New England Journal of Medicine detailing how the agency will end fast-tracked COVID booster approvals and shift its policy to stop recommending annual boosters for healthy individuals under 65 years of age.
While the FDA can change how drugs are approved for safety and clinical efficacy, recommendations on how they should be administered are ultimately made by the CDC, which operates in part under guidance from members of ACIP.
HHS noted that it plans to fill the vacancies on the committee soon, as its next meeting is scheduled for June 25.
Chad is an award-winning writer and editor with over 15 years of experience working in media. He has a decade-long professional background in healthcare, working as a writer and in public relations.