All members of a panel that advised the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccines have been kicked to the curb.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced what he called a “clean sweep” in a Monday op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, which noted, in a headline, “We’re reconstituting an advisory committee to avoid conflicts of interest.”
Kennedy framed the change as a need to respond to sagging confidence in America’s public health pronouncements.
“Vaccines have become a divisive issue in American politics, but there is one thing all parties can agree on: The U.S. faces a crisis of public trust. Whether toward health agencies, pharmaceutical companies or vaccines themselves, public confidence is waning,” he wrote.
Kennedy, whose skepticism on vaccines is well-known, said his personal agenda is not driving the change.
Hats off to RFK Jr. for dismantling the CDC vaccine panel. No more pharma puppetry or experimental vaccines, trust must be rebuilt! pic.twitter.com/zLiRDNbBUl
— Brian Babin (@RepBrianBabin) June 10, 2025
“Some would try to explain this away by blaming misinformation or antiscience attitudes. To do so, however, ignores a history of conflicts of interest, persecution of dissidents, a lack