Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has fired all 17 members of a vaccine advisory panel.
All sitting members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) were removed and will be replaced with new members.
RFK Jr. said the move was necessary to protect public trust in vaccines after claiming the group was plagued with conflicts of interest.
Highlights
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired all 17 members of the CDC's vaccine advisory panel, citing conflicts of interest.
- The ACIP members were removed without prior notice, with RFK Jr. announcing the move publicly in The Wall Street Journal first.
- The American Medical Association criticized the firing, warning it could worsen vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks.
- “A clean sweep is necessary to reestablish public confidence in vaccine science,” RFK Jr. said.
RFK Jr. has removed all 17 members of the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel
Image credits: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
Members of the committee are required to declare conflicts of interest before voting, and they excuse themselves if need be.
Announcing the removal, RFK Jr. said: “Today we are prioritizing the restoration of public trust above any specific pro- or anti-vaccine agenda.
“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.”
One member of the panel told CNN they did not receive a termination notice until after RFK Jr. published an opinion piece announcing the move in The Wall Street Journal.
ACIP makes recommendations on the safety, efficacy, and clinical need of vaccines to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Image credits: The White House
The removal of the board has been strongly criticized by the American Medical Association (AMA), among others.
RFK Jr. said all sitting ACIP members were appointed by the Biden administration, with 13 of them appointed in 2024.
He claimed the appointments would have prevented the Trump administration from choosing the majority of the committee until 2028.
As well as this, RFK Jr. claimed the Biden administration made a “concerted effort” to limit the new government’s ability to “take the proper actions to restore public trust in vaccines.”
“A clean sweep is necessary to reestablish public confidence in vaccine science,” he said in a statement.
“ACIP’s new members will prioritize public health and evidence-based medicine. The Committee will no longer function as a rubber stamp for industry profit-taking agendas.
Image credits: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
“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.”
AMA President Bruce Scott said the move would fuel the spread of vaccine-preventable illnesses.
“For generations, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has been a trusted national source of science- and data-driven advice and guidance on the use of vaccines to prevent and control disease,” he said in a statement.
“Physicians, parents, community leaders, and public health officials rely on them for clinical guidance, public health information, and knowledge.
“Today’s action to remove the 17 sitting members of ACIP undermines that trust and upends a transparent process that has saved countless lives.”
The move has been criticized by various politicos and health organizations
Image credits: RepKimSchrier
“With an ongoing measles outbreak and routine child vaccination rates declining, this move will further fuel the spread of vaccine-preventable illnesses.”
The American Public Health Association (APHA) described the move as a “coup.”
“The Trump administration’s action to ‘retire’ all members of ACIP and install a new slate, instead of allowing people to finish their term, is a coup,” APHA Executive Director Dr. Georges Benjamin said.
“Today’s ACIP members are some of the most qualified individuals to evaluate vaccines. They possess a deep understanding of science and were vetted for conflicts of interest prior to appointment.
“Removing all ACIP members at once is not how democracies work and it’s not good for the health of the nation. RFK says he wants to restore trust and transparency.”
“This action immediately raises concern over the ability of any slate of committee members appointed by the Trump administration to be viewed as impartial to RFK’s views on any decision, and therefore their actions will be suspect and likely mistrusted.”
The next ACIP meeting will still be held between June 25 and June 27 at the CDC headquarters in Atlanta, which means that the Trump administration will have just two weeks to vet and approve new members.