Since his senate approval as head of HHS in February, RFK Jr has enacted and/or proposed seismic changes to US vaccine policy that will impact your daily care of patients.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was confirmed as US Secretary of Health and Human Services on February 13, 2025, with a narrow 52-48 Senate vote.1 Kennedy, widely recognized in medical, scientific, and lay populations as a vaccine skeptic, now oversees the nation's $1.7 trillion health portfolio, including the CDC, FDA, NIH, and the development of US vaccine policy.1
In an alarming first move within weeks of taking office, Kennedy ordered the CDC to shelve promotional campaigns for vaccines, including seasonal flu shots as a dangerous flu season continued. He directed that any advertisements promote "informed consent" in vaccine decision-making.2 He also began preparations to remove members of external committees that advise the FDA and CDC on vaccine approvals, and postponed the first meeting since is approval of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), scheduled for February 26-28.2
In an action that continues to reverberate across health care domains, Kennedy in June 2025 removed all 17 members of ACIP, the panel that advises the CDC on vaccine policy.3,4 In justifying the unprecedented move, claimed the group was "plagued with conflicts of interest."4 In an HHS press release titled, HHS Takes Bold Step to Restore Public Trust in Vaccines by Reconstituting ACIP, Kennedy stated that his priority was to restore public trust "above any pro- or antivaccine agenda" and to ensure "unbiased science—evaluated through a transparent process and insulated from conflicts of interest—guides the recommendations of our health agencies."5
To date, HHS has already stopped recommending routine COVID-19 vaccines for healthy children and pregnant women and canceled programs intended to discover new vaccines to prevent future pandemics.3,4 These changes represent a fundamental shift in federal vaccine policy approach.
The implications extend beyond immediate policy changes. Health policy experts warn that politicized vaccine recommendations could highlight harms rather than benefits of immunizations, potentially creating greater distrust in the CDC and undermining confidence among scientists and public health experts.3
As Kennedy implements his "Make America Healthy Again" agenda, the medical community continues monitoring whether his leadership will maintain evidence-based vaccine policy or represent a fundamental departure from decades of established public health practice.
The short slide show above highlights the shifts in policy to date and points to potential changes in the future, based on Kennedy's proclaimed beliefs and previous statements.
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