The Trump Administration continues to fail to protect public health as CDC ACIP pulls back on vaccine recommendations.
As the US faces ongoing attacks on public health, both from the Trump administration and Robert F Kennedy Jr.’s (RFK) loyalists, the People’s CDC vehemently denounces the Trump administration for its ongoing harm to public health. We object to RFK’s deliberate removal of qualified members from the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), followed by his appointment of new members who demonstrate anti-vaccine views and fundamentally misunderstand healthcare and medicine.
In advance of ACIP’s September meeting, more than 4,000 written comments from the public were submitted to ACIP, urging the committee to maintain current vaccine recommendations. Despite demonstrated public support, during the two day meeting, the majority of ACIP committee members voted to remove recommended vaccine access for measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella among children under 4 years of age and COVID vaccines for those 6 months to 64 years of age. They also voted against the recommendation to cover these vaccines under the critical “Vaccine for Children” program which provides no cost access to vaccines for measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella. They also falsely criticized mRNA COVID vaccines, failing again to consider and incorporate scientific evidence into their decision making.
These decisions by ACIP are not only misguided; they will inevitably cause lasting harm to the overall health of both current and future generations in America, and will greatly affect vaccine policies worldwide. Vaccines, including mRNA-based COVID vaccines, remain one of the most effective tools we have for reducing the spread of infection, preventing severe illness, and saving lives. Their decisions will result in irreparable harm that reverses the monumental progress that has been made in combating infectious diseases, likely resulting in increased deaths and injury among children and adults.
The People’s CDC urges elected members of Congress to demand the executive branch:
1) Reinstate former CDC ACIP members who understand the importance of vaccines in protecting and preserving health.
2) Reaffirm a commitment to vaccines and restore vaccine recommendations for measles, mumps, rubella (MMR), varicella among children under 4 and COVID for ages 6 months and older.
The current administration and RFK’s dangerous influence over ACIP represents a fascistic approach to public health that prioritizes ideology and misinformation over scientific integrity. The public health crisis we face will not be resolved by removing one individual like RFK or even reversing a set of harmful recommendations or policies. To restore the integrity of our public health system, we must continue to rebuild trust in science, evidence-based policymaking, and institutions that have been systematically undermined by current administration leaders. The fight for public health is far from over, and restoring the former ACIP members and vaccine recommendations is just a first step. A powerful, collective movement is needed to rebuild public health infrastructure, one that is guided by science, accountability, and the best interests of all people.