Pallone on Kennedy Firing Members of the Nation’s Vaccine Advisory Panel

Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) released the following statement after Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. announced he was firing all 17 members of the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP):

“Secretary Kennedy is firing the 17 medical experts that advise our nation on immunization practices so he can stack the panel with a bunch of anti-vaccine wackos.

“It’s dangerous and it puts the health and well-being of the American people—especially our nation’s children—at extreme risk. 

“It’s clear that Secretary Kennedy does not intend to uphold the commitments he made during Senate confirmation to not take away people’s access to vaccines. Instead, he intends to use his position to advance his dangerous pseudo-science agenda.

“Today’s actions underscore the need to take politics out of medicine, which is why Dr. Schrier and I introduced legislation last week to protect access to vaccines for all Americans. I’ll be talking to members on both sides of the aisle this week about the need to support this critically important bill.”

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