JUNE 18, 2025

U.S. Vaccine Program ‘Critically Weakened,’ Dismissed ACIP Members Warn; Judge Orders Canceled NIH Grants Restored

By Gina Shaw

All 18 members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) who were abruptly dismissed by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on June 9 have issued a joint letter declaring that the decision has left the U.S. vaccine program “critically weakened.”

Published in JAMA Online on June 16, 2025, the letter described the rigorous process that historically has been associated with selecting ACIP members, the public trust placed in