Robert F. Kennedy dismisses 17 members of the U.S. vaccine scientific committee.

The U.S. Secretary of Health, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., dismissed all 17 members of the scientific committee advising the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on vaccine use this Monday. “It is necessary to start fresh to restore public trust in the science of vaccines,” Kennedy Jr. wrote in an opinion piece published in The Wall Street Journal where he announced his decision.

The webpage listing the committee members was removed on Monday, shortly after Kennedy’s announcement. “Vaccines have become a divisive issue in American politics, but there is one thing all parties agree on: America faces a crisis of public trust. Whether towards health agencies, pharmaceutical companies, or vaccines themselves, public confidence is waning,” stated the Secretary of Health in his article.

Kennedy argues that blaming misinformation—such as that which he has propagated—and anti-scientific attitudes would be a mistake, as this ignores “a history of conflicts of interest, persecution of dissenters, lack of curiosity, and biased science that has plagued the regulatory apparatus of vaccines for decades.”

“In the 1960s, the world looked to U.S. health regulators for guidance, who had a reputation for integrity, scientific impartiality, and enthusiastic advocacy for patient welfare. Since then, public trust has collapsed, but we will regain it,” he added.

All members of the committee now removed were appointed during Joe Biden’s presidency. “Without dismissing the current members, the Trump Administration would not have been able to appoint most of the new members until 2028,” wrote Kennedy, asserting that the committee members had too many conflicts of interest.

During his Senate confirmation hearing, Democratic senators confronted him about how he had financially benefited from his anti-vaccine activities and could continue to do so even as Secretary of Health due to a lawsuit against the pharmaceutical company Merck.

Before becoming Secretary of Health, Kennedy spread falsehoods and anti-scientific claims and called on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to rescind the authorization it had granted to COVID vaccines, which saved millions of lives worldwide and helped overcome the pandemic.

He claimed that “there is no vaccine that is safe and effective” and repeatedly asked for further studies on routine childhood vaccinations, despite decades of research and real-world use demonstrating that they have safely prevented diseases. He argued that vaccines cause autism and allergies. Additionally, he is involved in a lawsuit against Merck over the human papillomavirus vaccine, administered to protect against cervical cancer.

Despite all this, when he appeared before a Senate committee to seek his confirmation, he stated, “I am not an anti-vaccine advocate.” Recently, he took the unusual step of changing recommendations on COVID without first consulting the panel.

The Secretary of Health’s decision received immediate criticism from the medical community. “For generations, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has been a reliable national source of science-based advice and guidance on vaccine use to prevent and control diseases,” stated Bruce A. Scott, president of the American Medical Association. “Doctors, parents, community leaders, and public health officials rely on them for clinical guidance, public health information, and expertise. The decision made today to dismiss the 17 current members of ACIP undermines that trust and disrupts a transparent process that has saved countless lives. With an ongoing measles outbreak and declining rates of routine childhood vaccination, this move will further fuel the spread of vaccine-preventable diseases,” he argued.

Dr. Georges Benjamin, director of the American Public Health Association, described Kennedy’s mass dismissal as “a coup.” “That’s not how democracies work. It’s not good for the nation’s health,” he told the AP. According to Benjamin, the decision raises serious doubts about whether future committee members will be viewed as impartial. He added that Kennedy is acting against what he told lawmakers and the public, and that the public health association intends to monitor Kennedy.