Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has removed all 17 members of the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee, delivering a massive shake-up to the government’s immunization policy structure. The bold move effectively dissolves the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which has long been viewed as the CDC’s internal gatekeeper on vaccine schedules and approvals.
Kennedy framed the decision as long overdue. “This committee had become a rubber stamp for Big Pharma,” he said. “It’s time to restore independence, transparency, and public trust in our health agencies.”
The panel, which has existed for decades, has advised the CDC on which vaccines Americans—particularly children—should receive and when. Its guidance heavily influences everything from school mandates to insurance coverage. But Kennedy has accused the group of having deep financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry and prioritizing profits over patient safety.
The decision comes just weeks after Kennedy halted federal recommendations for COVID-19 vaccines for healthy children and pregnant women, citing insufficient long-term data and rising public concern. This latest action, however, goes even further—scrapping the entire advisory body and pledging to rebuild it from the ground up.
Public health institutions, including the American Medical Association, condemned the move as reckless. Critics warn it could delay immunization guidance, disrupt insurance decisions, and sow confusion among state health departments. Some even accused Kennedy of undermining public confidence in all vaccines.
Kennedy dismissed the outrage as predictable. “These same people looked the other way while pharmaceutical interests infiltrated every level of public health policy,” he said. “We’re cleaning house.”
As the CDC scrambles to plan for its next immunization policy meeting, no replacements have yet been announced. But insiders expect Kennedy to bring in doctors and scientists outside the traditional federal health bureaucracy—many of whom share his emphasis on medical freedom and rigorous scrutiny of vaccine data.
The move has electrified Kennedy’s supporters and further cemented his role as a disruptor in a deeply entrenched public health system. Whether it leads to reform or retaliation remains to be seen—but one thing is clear: business as usual at the CDC is over.