US vaccine panel retreats from mRNA Covid review ahead of midterms | Trump administration
A major federal panel that advises the government on vaccines has backed away from efforts targeting Covid-19 mRNA vaccines; The change comes as some Republicans have reportedly warned that additional changes to vaccine policy could hurt the party in the upcoming midterm elections.
Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. Several vaccine advisors selected by were exploring the possibility of ending federal recommendations for mRNA covid vaccines. The initiative will no longer move forward, according to two sources familiar with the talks. Washington Post.
In recent months, members of the health ministry’s vaccine advisory committee (ACIP) have publicly expressed concerns about both the safety and production of vaccines, despite widespread research. Some of these comments included repeating a debunked claim that DNA contamination in vaccines poses a health risk.
US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) press secretary Emily G Hilliard told the Guardian that “the committee is not reconsidering its September 2025 decision to classify COVID vaccines as part of the CDC shared clinical decision-making process for vaccination programs.”
“In addition, FDA and ACIP are consistently in alignment: FDA’s approval of COVID vaccines for high-risk groups and ACIP’s recommendation to include them in the vaccination schedule under shared clinical decision-making are aligned, meaning that the decision to vaccinate is based on individual patient characteristics,” the statement said.
What we’re seeing “reflects two things,” says Dorit Reiss, a vaccine law expert and UC San Francisco Law professor.
“The administration does not want to create more controversy over vaccines, realizing that this is politically harmful because most voters disagree with Kennedy’s anti-vaccine agenda. And the current ACIP does not understand its role, which does not extend to setting insurance laws,” he said.
“My impression is that current ACIP members are either not willing to do the work necessary to understand this, or – as they have been criticized for this before – do not care about jurisdictions and the rule of law.”
Reiss noted: “If the ACIP had voted on COVID-19 vaccines, it would have been a violation of the Federal Advisory Committee Act and a reporting issue had such a vote not been included in the federal registration notice. It might not have prevented them from doing so, but they would have been legally vulnerable to do so.”
“Including COVID-19 vaccine injury and long Covid-19 is odd because it is unclear what recommendations the committee might make regarding this. ACIP may include vaccine risks in the evaluation of its recommendations, but it has no independent role in treating diseases regardless of source. Members may simply want to make claims that Covid-19 vaccines harm society, but their role is not actually to generate anti-vaccine propaganda. Their role is to make evidence-based vaccine recommendations,” he continued.
The two mRNA vaccines currently used in the United States are produced by Moderna and the BioNTech partnership with Pfizer and make up the vast majority of Covid-19 vaccines administered.
The shift away from direct criticism of vaccines comes as Republicans face plummeting poll numbers and persistent criticism from medical experts ahead of midterm elections in November. In an interview with the New York Times last November, Kennedy said he personally directed the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to review its longstanding position that vaccines do not cause autism.
But over the past few months, the Trump administration has taken steps that suggest a quieter retreat from the previous stance that vaccines pose a serious threat to public health.
Last week, it was announced that Vinay Prasad, the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) top vaccine official, would again leave the agency following a series of high-profile controversies surrounding the FDA’s review of vaccines. This marked his second resignation from office in less than a year.
Last month, Trump’s controversial nominee for U.S. surgeon general, Casey Means, appeared before the Senate health committee for a two-hour hearing and dodged direct questions about vaccine guidance.
“The reality is that we have a growing autism crisis and it’s devastating to many families, and as a medical community we don’t know what causes autism,” Means said under questioning. He acknowledged that there is ample evidence disproving claims that vaccines cause this condition. “I also think the science is never settled, and I think it’s important to try to look at broad, cumulative exposures as to what causes autism.”
The FDA recently reversed an earlier decision and agreed to review Moderna’s application for the first mRNA-based flu vaccine after previously refusing to review it.
