In its final days in office, the Biden administration quietly stacked a key committee that reviews vaccine safety and efficacy with several new pro-vaccine members, a move intended to “insulate the scientific integrity of the panel from the incoming administration,” STAT News reported today.
Outgoing Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Xavier Becerra made the last-minute appointments to the Advisory Committee of Immunization Practices (ACIP). They include four new members and four replacements for current members whose terms expire in June.
According to STAT, the appointments were a response to President Donald Trump’s nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., founder of Children’s Health Defense (CHD), to lead HHS. Kennedy, who has not yet been confirmed as HHS secretary, faced two confirmation hearings in the U.S. Senate earlier this week.
In his testimony before the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday though, Kennedy said 97% of ACIP’s members have conflicts of interest.