GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy Publicly Undermines RFK Jr.’s Vaccine Committee Plans

The Republican senator who chairs the committee overseeing health issues publicly undermined the vaccine committee selected by Health and Human Services Secretary (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr., urging that physicians ignore its recommendations Thursday.

Sen. Bill Cassidy, chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, expressed concerns with the “lack of scientific process being followed” for an anticipated meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) on Sept. 18.

“Serious allegations have been made about the meeting agenda, membership, and lack of scientific process being followed for the now announced September ACIP meeting,” the statement reads. “These decisions directly impact children’s health and the meeting should not occur until significant oversight has been conducted. If the meeting proceeds, any recommendations made should be rejected as lacking legitimacy given the seriousness of the allegations and the current turmoil in CDC leadership.”

HHS didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The ACIP is made up of outside scientists who discuss epidemiological studies, weigh the benefits and side effects reported in clinical trials and make recommendations to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on the routine vaccination schedules for children and adults. The ACIP’s recommendations inform which shots are reimbursed by health plans. Meetings are open to the public.

Kennedy Jr. ordered a “clean sweep” of the committee in June that removed all 17 sitting members.

Requests to Cassidy for further clarification about which scientific processes were not being followed did not receive an immediate reply. The ACIP charter