The Blubber

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced Monday that he is “retiring” all 17 members of a key federal vaccine advisory committee, a dramatic move likely to stir renewed debate over vaccine policy in the U.S.

“A clean sweep is needed to re-establish public confidence in vaccine science,” Kennedy wrote in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece.

The move dissolves the current membership of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), the panel that advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccine use. The committee reviews scientific data and provides guidance on who should receive vaccines and whether those vaccines should be covered by insurance, among other responsibilities.

ACIP members are independent experts in medicine and public health who base their recommendations on extensive evidence and analysis. Recommendations made by the group require approval from the CDC director to become official policy.

HHS has not yet disclosed who will be appointed to replace the outgoing members. However, the department confirmed that ACIP will still hold its scheduled meeting from June 25 to 27. A source familiar with the situation told CNBC that newly appointed members will lead the session.

This overhaul marks another significant shift under Kennedy, a longtime critic of vaccine mandates, since taking over leadership at HHS. Since assuming the role, the department has rolled back recommendations for routine COVID-19 vaccinations for healthy children and pregnant women, and shelved initiatives aimed at developing new vaccines to prepare for future pandemics.

Despite his well-known skepticism, Kennedy said Monday that HHS will prioritize “the restoration of public trust above any pro- or antivaccine agenda.”

He also pointed out that some current ACIP members were appointed late in the previous administration and argued that unless current advisors were replaced, new leadership would be unable to nominate a majority of new members.