Kennedy announces he is removing all advisors on CDC’s independent vaccine panel

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday announced that he is replacing all 17 members of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) independent advisory panel on vaccines. 

The move is the health secretary's latest in his efforts to reshape the department and restore transparency and faith in vaccines. The panelists are not typically political appointees, but Kennedy has accused the members of having conflicts of interest.

Kennedy claimed the move will give the Trump administration the chance to appoint their own experts. The majority of the members were appointed by the Biden administration last year, which meant they could not be replaced until 2028, when their terms were expected to expire.

“Today we are prioritizing the restoration of public trust above any specific pro- or anti-vaccine agenda," Kennedy said in a statement. “The public must know that unbiased science—evaluated through a transparent process and insulated from conflicts of interest—guides the recommendations of our health agencies.”

Kennedy did not indicate who the new experts would be, but said the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP) would hold its next meeting as planned from June 25-27.

“A clean sweep is necessary to reestablish public confidence in vaccine science,” Kennedy said. “ACIP new members will prioritize public health and evidence-based medicine. The Committee will no longer function as a rubber stamp for industry profit-taking agendas. 

"The entire world once looked to American health regulators for guidance, inspiration, scientific impartiality, and unimpeachable integrity," he added. "Public trust has eroded. Only through radical transparency and gold standard science, will we earn it back.”

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.