11 US Vaccine Policy Updates: How Will They Affect Your Practice?

Fact checked by Sydney Jennings
Feature
Slideshow

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.


"I am not going to go into HHS and impose my pre-ordained opinions … I'm going to empower the scientists at HHS to do their job."


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

Early Policy Actions

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

Potential Implications

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.


References
1. RFK Jr. confirmed and sworn in as HHS secretary. CBS News. February 13, 2025. Accessed August 4, 2025. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/senate-to-vote-on-rfk-jr-s-confirmation-for-health-human-services-secretary/
2. Healthy Returns: HHS Secretary RFK Jr. is making early moves that may affect vaccine access. CNBC. February 25, 2025. Accessed August 4, 2025. https://www.cnbc.com/2025/02/25/healthy-returns-hhs-secretary-rfk-jrs-efforts-could-affect-vaccines.html
3. RFK Jr. removes all members of CDC panel advising U.S. on vaccines. CNBC. June 9, 2025. Accessed August 5, 2025. https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/09/rfk-jr-cdc-panel-vaccines.html
4. RFK Jr. removes all current members of CDC vaccine advisory committee. CNN. June 9, 2025. Accessed August 5, 2025. https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/09/health/rfk-cdc-vaccine-advisers-removed>
5. HHS takes bold steps to restore public trust in vaccines by reconstituting ACIP. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. June 9, 2025. Accessed August 5, 2025. https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/hhs-restore-public-trust-vaccines-acip.html

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