In an unprecedented and deeply alarming move, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has removed every single member of the nation’s vaccine policy committee—the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)—and announced plans to handpick their replacements.
Yesterday, at the spur of the moment, I was asked by my friend and colleague Dr. Jeremy Faust, author of Inside Medicine, if we could discuss it on Substack Live. We knew that things felt a little raw—we had just learned of the news moments before—but we decided to take a deep breath and go for it.
I’m glad we did. Around 5,000 people showed up on zero notice (thanks!) and we had a substantive and factual discussion on how this process is supposed to work and why we are so concerned.
A summary of some of the key points we covered is below. Please share this information and speak out.
Love, YLE
Closed captions (㏄) and a transcript option (📄) can be found beneath the video playback control bar above.
A summary of key points and highlights from The Doctor’s Lounge.
(Aided by ChatGPT.)
“Red Alert”: RFK Jr. Guts CDC Vaccine Panel
(00:00:00)
We went live immediately after RFK Jr. dropped a bombshell in the Wall Street Journal: the sudden “retirement” of all 17 members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). I was joined by Katelyn Jetelina (Your Local Epidemiologist), and we both agreed—this wasn’t minor. This was “red alert” level.
How Vaccine Policy Actually Works
(00:01:30)
We walked through the basics for the audience: FDA determines what’s safe and effective. ACIP, through the CDC, determines who should get it and when. ACIP votes not only shape public health guidance—they define which vaccines insurers must cover under the ACA and determine access for half of U.S. children through the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program.
ACIP Members Learn They’re Fired—From the Press
(00:03:20)
This wasn’t a routine change. It was a purge. The 17 external experts—pediatricians, epidemiologists, vaccinologists—were removed two weeks before their next scheduled meeting. One member told me they learned about it through the WSJ op-ed, not from CDC or HHS. No warning. No process. Just gone.
Visibility ≠ Transparency
(00:05:30)
RFK Jr. is making policy from the set of Fox News and the pages of The Wall Street Journal. But what he’s offering is visibility, not transparency. ACIP’s normal process is public, data-driven, and participatory. This move was draconian and opaque. Transparency demands public agendas, working groups, open votes. None of that is happening here.
Conflicts of Interest? No. Expertise.
(00:07:00)
RFK Jr. is conflating expertise with corruption. His justification for this move was “conflict of interest”—but ACIP’s conflict policies are stringent and public. What he really objects to is that members know what they’re talking about. As we said live: that’s not a bug, that’s the point.
What Happens Now? Best- and Worst-Case Scenarios
(00:09:45)
Best case: RFK Jr. replaces the panel with qualified experts and business proceeds as usual. Worst case: he stacks it with ideologues, and we lose vaccine access via insurance or the VFC program. Right now, we just don’t know which path we’re on. That uncertainty alone is destabilizing.
Why Cassidy Matters
(00:13:00)
Senator Bill Cassidy, a physician, chaired the HELP Committee that confirmed RFK. He said his support was conditional: no changes to ACIP. RFK has now clearly violated that understanding. Cassidy hasn't commented publicly. But as I said, he owns this. He could have stopped this appointment. He didn’t. He may feel burned now—but the public deserves accountability.
No CDC Director, No Clear Chain of Command
(00:16:00)
There is still no acting CDC director. RFK claimed there was—but he was wrong under oath. Without a CDC director, ACIP recommendations must be signed by the HHS Secretary—himself. That’s a dangerous concentration of power in a single hand, especially one ideologically opposed to vaccination.
Private Insurers: You Have a Role
(00:19:00)
We called on insurers to step up. ACIP determines the minimum for vaccine coverage. Insurers can go beyond that. With an ACIP in flux, insurers should preserve access voluntarily—because preventing disease is cheaper than treating it. There’s a strong financial incentive here, not just a public health one.
Undermining Trump’s Legacy?
(00:33:45)
Ironically, RFK Jr.’s crusade could undercut Donald Trump’s only real public health achievement: Operation Warp Speed. I argued that if Trump wants to preserve any credibility on COVID, he should reconsider his alliance with a Secretary who is actively undermining the vaccine legacy his administration enabled.
Firearm Study Connection: Undermining Health by Omission
(00:37:30)
Earlier in the day, my new JAMA Pediatrics study dropped: 7,400 excess pediatric firearm deaths in states that loosened laws since 2010. RFK’s “Make America Healthy Again” rhetoric doesn’t mention guns—our actual #1 killer of kids over age 1. In my book, you don’t get credit for pointing out red dye and ignoring bullets.
Final Words: We Need Trust. RFK’s Move Will Undermine It.
(00:40:00)
Not every dose of every vaccine is for everyone. But the public needs to trust that recommendations are made by qualified, independent experts. RFK is replacing that trust with confusion and a one-man rule. This is not how a health system earns legitimacy. We need to call this what it is—and push back before it becomes the new normal.
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