On June 9, 2025, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dismissed all 17 sitting members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)—the first time such a mass firing has occurred in the committee's history. Kennedy claimed a 'clean sweep“ was 'necessary to reestablish public confidence in vaccine science.” The terminated members were among the most knowledgeable and respected immunologists and public health experts in the country.
The replacement panel, announced days later, featured several people with records of expressing unfounded doubts about vaccine safety or with comparatively little experience. One new member posted memes hinting at gun violence against government officials less than 48 hours after a police officer was killed in an attack on CDC headquarters. ACIP's recommendations form the basis of insurance coverage requirements and federal subsidized child vaccination programs.
This occurred during the worst measles year in more than two decades.