United States Health Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr, has dismissed all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the federal panel that helps shape national immunization policy.
The decision, announced in an editorial published in the Wall Street Journal, reflects Kennedy’s longstanding concerns over alleged conflicts of interest within the committee.
Kennedy, a known vaccine skeptic, argued that the panel’s integrity has been compromised by ties to pharmaceutical companies, which he believes has eroded public confidence in vaccines.
“The committee has been plagued with persistent conflicts of interest and has become little more than a rubber stamp for any vaccine,” he wrote.
Kennedy insisted that the shake-up was aimed at restoring faith in vaccine oversight, stating his intention is to “ensure the American people receive the safest vaccines possible.”
Eight of the ousted members had only recently been appointed in January 2025, during the final days of the Biden administration.
The panel was composed mostly of medical doctors and experts affiliated with prominent academic institutions.
While Kennedy pledged during his Senate confirmation hearing that he had no intention to abolish the panel, his decision appears to contradict reassurances he gave to lawmakers.
Senator Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican and physician, had previously said Kennedy promised that ACIP would remain “without changes.”
Reacting to the dismissals, Cassidy posted on X, “Of course, now the fear is that the ACIP will be filled up with people who know nothing about vaccines except suspicion. I’ve just spoken with Secretary Kennedy, and I’ll continue to talk with him to ensure this is not the case.”
Kennedy emphasized that the committee’s structure allows for entrenched influence from vaccine manufacturers.
“Most of ACIP’s members have received substantial funding from pharmaceutical companies, including those marketing vaccines,” he claimed in the Wall Street Journal article. He also cited past examples from the 1990s and 2000s to support his view that such entanglements are not new.
Although ACIP members are required to disclose any financial ties and recuse themselves from votes where conflicts exist, Kennedy argued this isn’t enough.
“The problem isn’t necessarily that ACIP members are corrupt,” he wrote. “Most likely aim to serve the public interest as they understand it. The problem is their immersion in a system of industry-aligned incentives and paradigms that enforce a narrow pro-industry orthodoxy.”
Kennedy’s sweeping action has drawn criticism from leading medical voices. Dr. Bruce Scott, president of the American Medical Association, warned that the abrupt removal undermines the transparency and credibility of a process that has “saved countless lives.”
He added, “With an ongoing measles outbreak and routine child vaccination rates declining, this move will further fuel the spread of vaccine-preventable illnesses.”
The Health Secretary has yet to name new appointees to the committee, which is expected to convene its next meeting on June 25.
The upcoming session is slated to include votes on immunization recommendations for several diseases, including COVID-19, influenza, meningococcal infections, and RSV.
