Three weeks after a federal judge voided recent decisions by a CDC vaccine advisory panel, the agency changed the committee’s appointment process to place nominations under the purview of HHS chief, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The HHS Secretary now has authority to select and appoint group members, including the chair and vice chair, according to a CDC notice published April 6 in the Federal Register. The agency also renewed the panel for a two-year period through April 1, 2028.
HHS secretaries have had the authority to appoint Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices members, but the appointments usually occur on a rotating basis, and were historically based on nominations from scientific and medical organizations, followed by a vetting process from CDC and HHS officials.
Mr. Kennedy reconstructed ACIP in June by firing all 17 standing members and appointing new members throughout 2025 and early 2026. At the time of the overhaul, Mr. Kennedy said the move showcased HHS “prioritizing the restoration of public trust above any specific pro- or anti-vaccine agenda.”
National healthcare organizations criticized the decision and subsequent votes from the newly formed ACIP, including votes to remove universal recommendations for COVID-19 and hepatitis B vaccines. The CDC adopted these recommendations and trimmed its childhood immunization schedule by pulling routine recommendations for seven diseases, which was not based on an ACIP vote.
A federal judge ruled March 16 that the advisory panel’s reformation was unlawful. The judge also reinstated the CDC’s previous recommendations for childhood vaccinations.
The April 6 notice allows Mr. Kennedy to remake the ACIP, according to The New York Times.
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