RFK Jr. ousts entire CDC vaccine panel
The Brief
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. removed all members of the CDC's vaccine advisory committee.
He claimed the committee had too many conflicts of interest and plans to appoint new members.
The panel's work has been in limbo since Kennedy took office, including a delayed February meeting.
WASHINGTON - Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday announced he had removed every member of a scientific committee that advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on how to use vaccines and pledged to replace them with his own picks.
What they're saying
Kennedy, who was one of the nation's leading anti-vaccine activists before becoming the nation's top health official, has not said who he would appoint to the panel, but said it would convene in just two weeks in Atlanta.
Although it's typically not viewed as a partisan board, the Biden administration had installed the entire committee.
"Without removing the current members, the current Trump administration would not have been able to appoint a majority of new members until 2028," Kennedy wrote in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece. "A clean sweep is needed to re-establish public confidence in vaccine science. "
Kennedy said the committee members had too many conflicts of interest. Committee members routinely disclose any possible conflicts at the start of public meetings.
The other side
Major physicians and public health groups criticized the move to oust all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, called Kennedy's mass ouster "a coup."
"It's not how democracies work. It's not good for the health of the nation," Benjamin told The Associated Press.
Benjamin said the move raises real concerns about whether future committee members will be viewed as impartial. He added that Kennedy is going against what he told lawmakers and the public, and the public health association plans to watch Kennedy "like a hawk."
"He is breaking a promise," Benjamin said. "He said he wasn't going to do this."
Dr. Bruce A. Scott, president of the American Medical Association, called the committee a trusted source of science- and data-driven advice and said Kennedy's move, coupled with declining vaccination rates across the country, will help drive an increase in vaccine-preventable diseases.
"Today's action to remove the 17 sitting members of ACIP undermines that trust and upends a transparent process that has saved countless lives," Scott said in a statement.
Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, a doctor who had expressed reservations about Kennedy's nomination but voted to install him as the nation's health secretary nonetheless, said he had spoken with Kennedy moments after the announcement.
"Of course, now the fear is that the ACIP will be filled up with people who know nothing about vaccines except suspicion," Cassidy said in a social media post. "I've just spoken with Secretary Kennedy, and I'll continue to talk with him to ensure this is not the case.
Dig deeper
The 17-member Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices had been in a state of flux since Kennedy took over. Its first meeting this year had been delayed when the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services abruptly postponed its February meeting.
RELATED: RFK Jr. orders review of baby formula: What to know
The backstory
Kennedy, who was one of the nation's leading anti-vaccine activists before becoming the nation's top health official, recently took the unusual step of changing COVID-19 recommendations without first consulting the panel.
The committee had been in a state of flux since Kennedy took over. Its first meeting this year had been delayed when the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services abruptly postponed its February meeting.
During Kennedy's confirmation, Cassidy had expressed concerns about preserving the committee, saying he had sought assurances that Kennedy would keep the panel's current vaccine recommendations.
Kennedy did not stick to that. He recently took the unusual step of changing COVID-19 recommendations without first consulting the advisers.
The webpage that featured the committee's members was deleted Monday evening, shortly after Kennedy's announcement.
The Source
The Associated Press contributed to this report. The information in this story comes from a Wall Street Journal opinion piece written by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., as well as official records from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This story was reported from Los Angeles.
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