E&C Democrats Probe CDC’s Drastic Changes to Childhood Vaccination Schedule

Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Health Subcommittee Ranking Member Diana DeGette (D-CO), and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Ranking Member Yvette D. Clarke (D-NY) wrote to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Acting Director Jim O’Neill today expressing alarm at the agency’s "lack of any meaningful process and insufficient scientific justification" for drastically changing the childhood vaccination schedule. 

Pallone, DeGette, and Clarke pressed the Acting Director on the lack of medical and scientific input in devising the new schedule, including the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). 

"We are deeply concerned that the action did not involve a review of any new science, data, or input from experts in vaccinology and epidemiology, let alone Secretary Kennedy’s hand-selected ACIP members," the three Democratic leaders wrote. "We are also troubled by reports that data on the U.S. vaccination schedule provided by CDC experts was disregarded, and they were not consulted about this policy change. The health care community swiftly decried your changes as a dangerous and a stark departure from long-accepted scientific practices resulting in deadly consequences."

The Democratic Committee leaders also highlighted the apparent connection between the recent rise in vaccine-preventable diseases and the Trump Administration’s war on life-saving vaccines. 

"Mistrust of vaccines, spurred by misinformation that conflicts with an abundance of scientific evidence, has already led to a steady decline in vaccination rates and a resurgence of preventable diseases like measles and pertussis," Pallone, DeGette, and Clarke continued in their letter. "In 2025, the United States recorded more cases of measles than it had in any year since 1991. Later this month, the United States may lose its official measles elimination status, which we have held since 2000."

The Democrats’ letter also comes amid one of the worst flu seasons in recent memory. According to reports, thousands of people have already been hospitalized, and 17 children have died during this season’s outbreak. Earlier this month, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) removed the flu shot from its list of recommended vaccines for children. 

As part of a probe of scientific review within the CDC, the Democratic Committee leaders demanded the following information by January 28, 2026:

• Scientific assessments used to develop the new vaccination schedule, including the HHS and CDC employees who prepared and reviewed such assessments;
• All prior drafts of the new vaccination schedule document;
• Any outreach to and accepted guidance from outside advisors and organizations;
• Explanation for the exclusion of ACIP from the review process; and
• Metrics used to select other nations’ vaccinations schedules for comparison models.

Full text of the letter is available HERE.

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