Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Public debate about vaccines, especially whether government or workplaces should mandate them, escalated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Much of the criticism and skepticism fell on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which ACIP advises.
"Today we are prioritizing the restoration of public trust above any specific pro- or anti-vaccine agenda," Secretary Robert F. Kennedy said in a statement on Monday. "The public must know that unbiased science—evaluated through a transparent process and insulated from conflicts of interest—guides the recommendations of our health agencies."
The HHS release noted that the next meeting for the committee will be June 25-27 in Atlanta, and the committee will have new people that are "currently under consideration."
CDC EYES NARROWER COVID-19 VACCINE GUIDANCE AHEAD OF 2025-2026 SEASON
A doctor shows a vial of the Jynneos monkeypox vaccine. (PASCAL GUYOT/AFP via Getty Images)
"For example, under the prior Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued COVID-19 guidance on reopening schools that incorporated edits by the American Federation of Teachers and was understood to discourage in-person learning," the order, signed on May 23, continued.
"This guidance’s restrictive and burdensome reopening conditions led many schools to remain at least partially closed, resulting in substantial negative effects on educational outcomes — even though the best available scientific evidence showed that children were unlikely to transmit or suffer serious illness or death from the virus, and that opening schools with reasonable mitigation measures would have only minor effects on transmission," it added.
Kennedy was confirmed by the Senate to lead the department in February after Trump nominated him.
Cameron Arcand is a politics writer at Fox News Digital in Washington D.C. Story tips can be sent to Cameron.Arcand@Fox.com and on Twitter: @cameron_arcand
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/rfk-jr-scraps-vaccine-committee-members-effort-restore-public-trust