BREAKING: RFK Jr. removes all 17 members of a CDC panel of vaccine advisors
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has announced the immediate removal of all 17 members of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). The decision, made public on Monday, June 9, 2025, at 8:38 PM UTC via a post on X by Eric Daugherty, signals a seismic shift in U.S. public health policy. Citing the need to “re-establish public confidence in vaccine science,” RFK Jr.’s bold action has ignited a firestorm of debate, drawing both support and criticism from across the political and scientific spectrum.
A Clean Sweep at the CDC
The ACIP, a pivotal body responsible for shaping U.S. vaccination strategies, has been entirely disbanded under RFK Jr.’s directive. The move comes amid growing skepticism of vaccine safety and efficacy, a topic RFK Jr. has championed for years. This “clean sweep” is framed as an effort to purge what RFK Jr. and his supporters view as a panel tainted by corporate influence and outdated priorities.
Context and Controversy
This decision follows a series of contentious moves by RFK Jr. since taking office. Just days earlier, on June 4, 2025, Dr. Lakshmi Panagiotakopoulos, a pediatric infectious disease expert and co-leader of the CDC’s COVID-19 vaccine recommendation group, resigned. Her departure came after RFK Jr. unilaterally altered COVID-19 vaccine guidelines, restricting recommendations for healthy children and pregnant women. This change bypassed the usual ACIP review process, prompting speculation about internal dissent and raising questions about Panagiotakopoulos’ next steps—some suggest a potential move to the pharmaceutical industry.
The timing is significant. A 2021 Lancet review claimed vaccines’ 95% efficacy in preventing severe COVID-19 outcomes, but has been thoroughly discredited. Yet, RFK Jr.’s actions suggest a pivot toward greater parental and medical autonomy, with the new CDC policy requiring explicit agreement from both parents and doctors for child vaccinations—a departure from universal recommendations.
