RFK Jr. fires 17 ACIP advisors

Summary

On June 9, 2025, HHS Secretary Kennedy dismissed all 17 sitting ACIP members - unprecedented in the committee's history - and replaced them with 8 individuals including vaccine skeptic Robert W. Malone. The reconstituted committee voted in December 2025 to remove the universal hepatitis B birth-dose recommendation and had previously been used to change COVID-19 vaccine guidance. A federal court blocked all of these changes in March 2026.

What happened

Kennedy announced the firing of the entire ACIP panel on June 9, 2025, alleging "persistent conflicts of interest." He did not consult the committee before separately directing the CDC in May 2025 to remove COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for healthy children and pregnant women. The eight members named on June 11, 2025 (one later withdrew) included Malone (accused during the pandemic of spreading misinformation about mRNA COVID vaccines, per CBS News) and Martin Kulldorff (co-author of the Great Barrington Declaration). At its December 2025 meeting, the reconstituted ACIP voted to change universal hepatitis B birth-dose recommendation to "shared clinical decision-making" for mothers testing negative, effectively making it optional. On March 16, 2026, Judge Brian Murphy (D. Mass.) issued an order staying the January 2026 immunization schedule revision, the appointments of the 13 ACIP members Kennedy named, and all votes taken by the reconstituted committee - reverting the schedule to the June 2024 version. The court declined to grant preliminary relief against the May 2025 COVID directive.

Impact on the United States

Insurance coverage obligations are tied to ACIP recommendations; removing coverage recommendations risks creating gaps in coverage for children and pregnant patients. Declining vaccine uptake during the already-fragile measles outbreak period.

Documented effects

1. May 2025May 2025: Kennedy directed the CDC to drop its COVID-19 vaccine recommendation for healthy children and pregnant women; the March 2026 court order did not block this directive[3]
2. Dec 2025December 2025: ACIP voted to make hepatitis B birth dose optional - reversed by March 2026 court order[2]
3. Mar 2026March 16, 2026: Judge Brian Murphy (D. Mass.) stayed all ACIP reconstitution actions, restored June 2024 immunization schedule[3][4]
4. Apr 29, 2026April 29, 2026: the administration appealed the March 16 order to the First Circuit; the stay remains in effect pending appeal[7]
5. Sep 25, 2026As of September 25, 2026, with the committee shut down, CDC kept last season's flu vaccine recommendations citing 'legal uncertainties and inquiries' and did not list the newly approved mRNA flu vaccine; insurers aligned with medical-society recommendations instead[8]

Why this is rated significant

Replacing the entire vaccine advisory panel, including with vaccine skeptics, threatened coverage and uptake, a serious public-health harm largely paused by a March 2026 court stay now on appeal.

March 2026 order stays new appointments and votes; government appeal pending at the First Circuit

Corrections & updates [9]

Every change to a fact on this page after publication is logged here, newest first.

1. Sep 29, 2026CorrectedCourt ruling

   The entry said the March 16, 2026 order blocked the May 2025 COVID-19 vaccine directive. The court's docketed order (ECF 291) stayed the January 2026 schedule memo, the appointments of the 13 Kennedy-appointed ACIP members, and all votes of the reconstituted committee; per Georgetown CCF's analysis of the ruling, the court declined to grant preliminary relief against the May 2025 directive. (A plaintiff press release said otherwise; the order text does not.)[5][3]

2. Sep 29, 2026ClarifiedWhat happened

   Adds a source for the June 11, 2025 appointments (CBS News: eight named, one later withdrew) and attributes the description of Robert Malone to that reporting, which says he was accused of spreading misinformation about mRNA COVID vaccines.[6]

   + Show previous and current text- Hide previous and current text

   Previously

   Kennedy announced the firing of the entire ACIP panel on June 9, 2025, alleging "persistent conflicts of interest." He did not consult the committee before separately directing the CDC in May 2025 to remove COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for healthy children and pregnant women. The new 8-member panel included Malone (known for spreading COVID vaccine misinformation) and Martin Kulldorff (co-author of the Great Barrington Declaration). At its December 2025 meeting, the reconstituted ACIP voted to change universal hepatitis B birth-dose recommendation to "shared clinical decision-making" for mothers testing negative, effectively making it optional. On March 16, 2026, Judge Brian Murphy (D. Mass.) issued an order staying the January 2026 immunization schedule revision, the appointments of the 13 ACIP members Kennedy named, and all votes taken by the reconstituted committee - reverting the schedule to the June 2024 version. The court declined to grant preliminary relief against the May 2025 COVID directive.

   Now

   Kennedy announced the firing of the entire ACIP panel on June 9, 2025, alleging "persistent conflicts of interest." He did not consult the committee before separately directing the CDC in May 2025 to remove COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for healthy children and pregnant women. The eight members named on June 11, 2025 (one later withdrew) included Malone (accused during the pandemic of spreading misinformation about mRNA COVID vaccines, per CBS News) and Martin Kulldorff (co-author of the Great Barrington Declaration). At its December 2025 meeting, the reconstituted ACIP voted to change universal hepatitis B birth-dose recommendation to "shared clinical decision-making" for mothers testing negative, effectively making it optional. On March 16, 2026, Judge Brian Murphy (D. Mass.) issued an order staying the January 2026 immunization schedule revision, the appointments of the 13 ACIP members Kennedy named, and all votes taken by the reconstituted committee - reverting the schedule to the June 2024 version. The court declined to grant preliminary relief against the May 2025 COVID directive.

3. Sep 29, 2026UpdatedStatus

   The administration appealed the March 16, 2026 order to the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit on April 29, 2026 (NBC News). The stay remains in place while the appeal is pending.[7]

   Previously

   blocked-by-court (March 2026 injunction stays new appointments and votes)

   Now

   blocked-by-court (March 2026 order stays new appointments and votes; government appeal pending at the First Circuit)

4. Sep 29, 2026CorrectedSource

   Source date corrected: CIDRAP published 'Federal judge blocks Kennedy's changes to childhood vaccine policy' on March 16, 2026, not March 17.[4]

5. Sep 29, 2026UpdatedKey facts

   Updated: as of September 25, 2026, with the committee shut down, CDC kept last season's flu recommendations, citing 'legal uncertainties and inquiries', and insurers were following medical-society recommendations.[8]

6. Sep 29, 2026CorrectedSummary card

   The summary card said a court 'invalidated' the reconstituted panel's votes and called the new members 'known vaccine misinformation figures.' The March 16, 2026 order stayed the appointments and votes pending the case (a preliminary ruling, now on appeal); CBS News reported that appointee Robert Malone was accused of spreading misinformation about mRNA COVID vaccines. The card now matches.[6][5][7]

   + Show previous and current text- Hide previous and current text

   Previously

   Kennedy dismissed the entire ACIP vaccine advisory panel without precedent and replaced it with individuals including known vaccine misinformation figures. A federal court later invalidated the reconstituted panel's votes under federal advisory committee law.

   Now

   Kennedy dismissed the entire ACIP vaccine advisory panel and replaced it with appointees including Robert Malone, who CBS News reported was accused of spreading misinformation about mRNA COVID vaccines. In March 2026 a federal court stayed the new appointments and all of the reconstituted panel's votes; the government has appealed.

7. Sep 29, 2026ClarifiedSeverity rationale

   The March 2026 court action was a stay order, not an injunction; the wording now matches the record. Severity unchanged.

   + Show previous and current text- Hide previous and current text

   Previously

   Replacing the vaccine advisory panel with skeptics threatened coverage and uptake, a serious public-health harm largely blocked by court injunction.

   Now

   Replacing the entire vaccine advisory panel, including with vaccine skeptics, threatened coverage and uptake, a serious public-health harm largely paused by a March 2026 court stay now on appeal.

8. Sep 29, 2026ClarifiedSource labels

   Source tier labels brought in line with the site's tier rule (specialist and trade publications are Tier 3; general news organizations are Tier 2): CIDRAP (Tier 2 to 3). No claim in the entry changed.

9. Sep 29, 2026CorrectedCost estimate

   The $80M booked figure applied an assumed 10% share to a scenario model and added about $30M in unsourced costs. The $250M broader figure contradicted its own method. No source measures how many infants actually missed the hepatitis B birth dose while the change was in effect, so nothing is booked. That is a floor, not a finding of no harm.

   Previously

   net $80M so far; 10yr $100M; 15yr $130M; broader $250M

   Now

   net $0; 10yr $0; 15yr $0; broader $0

Sources [8]