Whopper of the Week: Kennedy's “Unbiased” Vaccine Panel is actually packed with Anti-vaxxers

This week's Whopper: 

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s "UNbiased" vaccine Panel is actually packed with Antivaxxers

In summary:

In early December, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) advisory committee on immunization practices (ACIP) will discuss the childhood vaccine schedule, ingredients that help stimulate the immune response (e.g. aluminum) and the Hepatitis B vaccine. For over 60 years, ACIP has provided independent expert advice to the U.S. government about the scientific data and clinical practices that are the basis of its vaccine policies. In June, Secretary Kennedy purged the committee of all its advisors. He accused ACIP of “historical corruption” and “malevolent malpractice” and claimed the experts he fired were “plagued with conflicts of interest” who acted as “rubber stamps for the industrial agenda.” Kennedy hand-picked new ACIP members who are publicly critical of vaccines and mostly unqualified. By dismantling ACIP and reconstituting it to his political liking, Kennedy has made clear he will not let experts, data, or scientific studies get in the way of his anti-vaccine agenda. 

Why is this a Whopper?

Kennedy promised Senator Cassidy (R-LA) in February that he would “maintain the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices without changes.”  But in June, Kennedy fired all 18 members of the committee and replaced them with people whose views on vaccines range from "controversial" to "anti-vaccine."  Kennedy lied to Congress to secure their votes for his confirmation as Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS).

On the HHS website the Secretary wrote, “A clean sweep is necessary to reestablish public confidence in vaccine science.” Kennedy provided no proof or examples of conflicts of interest that led to a questionable ACIP decisions. His claim that “97% of the people on [ACIP] had conflicts” is not true. ACIP members are required to declare their conflicts of interest prior to their appointment and indicate whether they receive funding from industry for their research or do work for the private sector. A recent study found that only 6% of ACIP members at any meeting have conflicts of interests, reaching a historic low in 2024.

The new ACIP members nominated by Kennedy have conflicts of their own. Some have worked as anti-vaccine advocates, testified as paid expert witnesses against vaccine makers, lobbied state government to loosen vaccine mandates. Many of them have been invited speakers at anti-vaccine events. Surprisingly, none of these forms of remuneration are listed in their declarations on the CDC website, but these ties could influence their recommendations.

Finally, despite his claims, Kennedy has done nothing to reassure the public that the new ACIP recommendations will be based on “unbiased science” and “evaluated through a transparent process.”

• His nominees did not go through the rigorous, yearlong, vetting process of previous ACIP members. Their names were announced two weeks prior to their first meeting with no review.
• Despite assurance to Congress, ACIP's decision-making process is not public and transparent: we are two weeks away from the next meeting and the public is still in the dark about what sorts of changes to vaccines the committee is considering or what documents will be discussed.
• Liaison groups like the American College of Physicians, American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, representing clinicians and advocates for patients, have been banned from attending the ACIP meetings. These groups provided the CDC with frontline perspectives about patient needs and real-world medical practice. They also verify that decisions made by ACIP and the CDC are based on sound science.  

Under Kennedy, decision making is being hidden from public view.

How might this impact you?

Normally, ACIP members are experts  in infectious disease, virology, immunology, vaccines, and the clinical care of vulnerable populations. Their job is to rigorously review the latest data and evidence in order to advise the CDC about which Americans should receive vaccines and when they should be given. 

ACIP is enormously influential. When ACIP recommends a vaccine to the CDC, insurance plans, Medicaid and Medicare are legally required to cover them without costs to the patient. CDC recommendations also determine which products qualify for the government’s no-fault vaccine injury compensation program. Former ACIP chairs warn that Americans may soon find themselves with access to fewer vaccines or at much higher prices, and lives will be lost.

The December ACIP meeting is a test. Kennedy is pushing for radical changes to U.S. vaccine policy, and has tried to sideline experts and partners who normally demand that the government provide strong supporting evidence and balance the harms-benefits of any change to vaccine policies. To regain its credibility, ACIP should resist becoming a rubber stamp for Kennedy’s anti-vaccine ambitions.

Contributors to this post are: Benedicte Callan, PhD; Aurora Horstcamp, MD; and Erica Bersin, BCPA.