WASHINGTON (The Hill) – Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced he is dismissing every member of the independent panel advising the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccines, marking an unprecedented step in his effort to transform the agency.

In a Wall Street Journal op-ed released Monday, Kennedy said the move was necessary to restore faith in vaccines. 

“A clean sweep is needed to re-establish public confidence in vaccine science,” Kennedy wrote. 

“The public must know that unbiased science—evaluated through a transparent process and insulated from conflicts of interest—guides the recommendations of our health agencies,” Kennedy stated afterward.

Kennedy indicated that the removal of all panel members will allow the Trump administration the chance to appoint its own members. Kennedy has long claimed that ACIP members have conflicts of interest, raising concerns among vaccine advocates that he may attempt to appoint members with greater skepticism towards new vaccine approvals.

“The prior administration made a concerted effort to lock in public health ideology and limit the incoming administration’s ability to take the proper actions to restore public trust in vaccines,” Kennedy said.  

The panelists are not political appointees. The ACIP meets three times a year to review data on vaccines and recommend how they should be used. It is comprised of independent medical and public health experts who do not work for CDC. Members are appointed to four-year terms 

The panel recently considered narrowing the recommendations for COVID-19 vaccinations for children and was next scheduled to meet later this month to review and vote on recommendations. The HHS statement indicated the meeting will continue as scheduled at CDC’s Atlanta headquarters.

Ahead of Kennedy’s Senate confirmation vote, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) said Kennedy pledged to maintain the panel “without changes.” 

A Cassidy spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.