Robert F. Kennedy Jr. completely dismantles CDC’s vaccine advisory committee, appointing new members to investigate potential dangers of childhood immunization schedules that have long been hidden from the American public.
Key Takeaways
- HHS Secretary Kennedy has dismissed all 17 previous CDC vaccine advisory panel members due to conflicts of interest, replacing them with independent experts.
- The restructured Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) will conduct a thorough review of cumulative effects of the childhood vaccination schedule.
- New panel chair Martin Kulldorff emphasized evidence-based medicine will guide recommendations, examining why American children receive more vaccines than those in other developed nations.
- The American Academy of Pediatrics has withdrawn from ACIP hearings, claiming the process has become “politicized at the expense of children’s health.”
- The panel will also consider religious objections to vaccines derived from fetal cell lines and revisit the necessity of Hepatitis B vaccines for all newborns.
Complete Overhaul of CDC’s Vaccine Advisory Committee
In a decisive move to restore scientific integrity to America’s public health institutions, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has completely restructured the federal vaccine advisory panel, dismissing all 17 previous members who allegedly had conflicts of interest with pharmaceutical companies. This sweeping change at the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) signals the Trump administration’s commitment to ensuring that vaccine recommendations are based on independent scientific evaluation rather than industry influence. The newly appointed committee, chaired by epidemiologist Martin Kulldorff, will conduct a comprehensive review of the childhood and adolescent vaccine schedule, examining potential cumulative effects that many parents have questioned for years.
“Secretary Kennedy has given this committee a clear mandate to use evidence-based medicine. We’re making vaccine recommendations and that is what we will do. Vaccines are not all good or bad,” said Martin Kulldorff, the new panel chair.
@NicoleShanahan who I love and trust. I have no idea what to believe regarding the siblings. Love to know more. It’s concerning to say the least https://t.co/XLYroEFLGP
— David Caspillo (@DavidCaspillo) May 8, 2025
Examining the Extensive American Childhood Vaccination Schedule
The newly formed committee has immediately raised important questions about the extensive vaccination schedule imposed on American children compared to their counterparts in other developed nations. “The number of vaccines that our children and adolescents receive today exceeds what children in most other developed nations receive, and what most of us in this room received when we were children,” noted Martin Kulldorff, highlighting a discrepancy that has concerned many parents across the country. The panel will focus particularly on vaccines that have been approved for seven or more years, establishing two specific work groups to thoroughly examine these long-standing recommendations and their cumulative effects on children’s health.
“Unless the mother is Hepatitis B positive, an argument could be made to delay the vaccine for this infection, which is primarily spread by sexual activity and intravenous drug use,” said Kulldorff, raising reasonable questions about why all newborns currently receive this vaccine.
Resistance from Establishment Medical Organizations
The shake-up has predictably triggered opposition from established medical organizations that have long aligned with pharmaceutical interests. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has withdrawn from ACIP hearings, with its president Susan Kressly claiming, “We won’t lend our name or our expertise to a system that is being politicized at the expense of children’s health.” This reaction exposes the deep entrenchment of pharmaceutical influence in medical organizations that have historically resisted thorough examination of vaccine safety concerns. Meanwhile, Secretary Kennedy has been working to ensure that insurance companies continue covering vaccines during this review process, demonstrating his commitment to maintaining access while enhancing safety.
“The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has replaced all 17 members of the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel, part of a broader review of childhood and adolescent immunization practices,” explained Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Despite the controversy, the committee proceeded with its responsibilities, voting to recommend Merck’s RSV monoclonal antibody, Enflonsia, for infants 8 months or younger whose mothers did not receive a preventive RSV vaccine during pregnancy. This demonstrates the panel’s continued commitment to protecting children’s health while undertaking its broader review of vaccination policies. The addition of this treatment to the CDC’s Vaccines for Children program ensures continued access for vulnerable populations while the committee conducts its important evaluation of longstanding practices that have remained largely unquestioned for decades.
