In America: RFK Jr.’s Crusade Against Vaccines & The 8 New Appointees Set To Shake Up The CD
Tasos Katopodis / Stringer
In June 2025, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., serving as the US Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary, made a significant and controversial decision to dismiss all 17 members of the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP.) Instead of promoting from within, he chose to replace them with eight new members. This move, announced as a step to “restore trust” in the CDC by addressing alleged conflicts of interest, has sparked intense debate within the public health community. Was this a genuine effort to safeguard Americans? Or a politically motivated move to appoint operatives aligned with those in power, consolidating authority with the executive wing of government?
The ACIP and RFK Jr.’s Decision
The ACIP is a panel of independent scientists and clinicians tasked with evaluating vaccine safety, efficacy, and clinical need. Its recommendations influence which vaccines are covered by insurance under the Affordable Care Act and provided through the Vaccines for Children program, which serves approximately half of all US children. The committee’s work has been instrumental in the success of American immunization programs, which, from 1994 to 2023, prevented 508 million illness cases, 32 million hospitalizations, and over 1.1 million deaths, saving $540 billion in direct costs.
On June 9, RFK Jr. announced the dismissal of all 17 ACIP members, citing conflicts of interest and describing the panel as a “rubber stamp” for vaccine approvals. Two days later, he appointed eight new members, claiming they were “highly credentialed” scientists and physicians committed to evidence-based medicine. The new panel is set to meet later in June to review recommendations for vaccines, including those for COVID-19, HPV, flu, meningococcal, and RSV.
RFK Jr.’s Rationale and Vaccine Claims
It is no surprise that the new HHS Secretary is “anti-vaccine” ;It was the platform he ran on as a challenger to President Trump’s campaign, until ceding ground to him nearly 9 months ago. Sec. Kennedy justified the overhaul by arguing that the previous ACIP members had conflicts of interest, particularly due to their appointments by the Biden administration and, in some cases, their donations to Democratic causes. RFK Jr. has stated that a “clean sweep” was necessary to re-establish public confidence in vaccine science. He emphasized that the new members would not be “anti-vaxxers” but objective experts who would demand “definitive safety and efficacy data” before making recommendations.
Additionally, RFK Jr. announced that the new panel would re-analyse the current list of recommended children’s vaccines due to perceived distrust in the science behind their approvals. This aligns with his long-standing scepticism about vaccines, a position that has drawn criticism from the scientific community given his history of promoting vaccine-related conspiracy.
Composition of the New ACIP
Several appointees, such as Malone, Kulldorff, Levi, and Pebsworth, have publicly criticized aspects of vaccine policy or COVID-19 response measures. For instance, Pebsworth’s affiliation with the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC), which advocates for vaccine exemptions and highlights vaccine injuries, suggests a focus on safety concerns that may diverge from mainstream public health perspectives (NPR). Kulldorff and Meissner’s association with the Great Barrington Declaration, which proposed a controversial approach to managing COVID-19, all of which indicates a potential shift toward more populist public health strategies. A common thread between several of these candidates is their support of the Great Barrington Declaration. The declaration was signed in October 2020, mere months after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, which demanded children be let back into school full time, in-person. The declaration was widely criticised at the time by members of the previous Trump regime. It was also published nearly a year before COVID-19 vaccines were readily available for the wider public. Francis Collins, the then-director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) dismissed the declaration and its authors as “fringe experts.”
Expert and Official Reactions
The public health community has expressed significant concern about the ACIP overhaul. Former Surgeon General Jerome Adams described the purge as unprecedented and lacking transparency, warning that it could disrupt vaccine access by affecting insurance coverage and payment processes. He noted that the ACIP has been a cornerstone of public health since the 1960s, and its disruption could sow doubt in vaccine confidence.
Dr. Sean O’Leary, chair of the infectious disease committee for the American Academy of Paediatrics, called the move a “disaster,” comparing it to replacing all US air traffic controllers with sceptics. Dr. Walter Orenstein, with over 50 years in vaccinology, echoed these concerns, highlighting the potential to weaken the US vaccine program. Former ACIP members published an editorial in the Journal of the American Medical Association, arguing that the dismissals stripped the committee of institutional knowledge critical to its success.
Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), a physician and member of the Senate Health Committee, expressed wariness about RFK Jr.’s vaccine scepticism but voted to confirm him after securing concessions, including preserving the CDC committee. However, he later criticized RFK Jr.’s actions, particularly after a measles outbreak in Texas, emphasizing the importance of unequivocal support for vaccines. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) called for a bipartisan investigation into the terminations, reflecting broader political concern.
Resignations within the CDC only highlight the internal dissent and dissatisfaction with the move. Dr. Fiona Havers, a respiratory disease expert, resigned due to concerns about data objectivity, and Dr. Lakshmi Panagiotakopoulos quit after changes to vaccine recommendations for children and pregnant women. Melinda Wharton, a top CDC vaccine official, was also removed from her role.
What’s Next For Vaccines?
The overhaul of the ACIP could have far-reaching implications for public health. The committee’s recommendations are critical for maintaining high vaccination rates, which have historically prevented millions of illnesses and deaths. Any shift toward more cautious or sceptical recommendations could lead to reduced vaccine coverage, particularly for diseases like measles, which require high immunization rates to prevent outbreaks. The 1989–1991 measles resurgence serves as a cautionary tale to the consequences of declining vaccine confidence.
Moreover, changes to vaccine recommendations could disrupt insurance coverage and access through programs like Vaccines for Children, disproportionately affecting low-income communities. Former Surgeon General Adams warned that dropping recommendations for vaccines like COVID-19 could complicate payment processes, indirectly limiting access.
While RFK Jr. frames the ACIP overhaul as a necessary step to restore trust in the CDC, the evidence leans toward this being a politically motivated move to appoint individuals who align with his vaccine-sceptical views. His department fails to provide specific evidence for conflicts, have culled dissenting voices, and appointed favourable voices. The Department for Health & Human Services’ new leader appears to be politicising human life itself, while failing to fight the diseases that do not discriminate between registered Republicans, Democrats, or Independents.