Republican Senator says RFK’s hand-picked vaccine advisory committee is “totally discredited”

The CDC’s vaccine advisory panel, hand-selected by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., voted today to end the universal recommendation for the Hepatitis B vaccine for newborns — a move that will cause doubt and confusion among parents. The vaccine has been associated with a 99% drop in Hepatitis B infections among children and teens since 1991. 

The vote today came after panel members expressed repeated confusion about what they were voting on, with some members lamenting that they have “not had any information or science presented or discussed” since the votes were initially delayed. 

The advisory panel was briefed by Aaron Siri, a known anti-vaxx lawyer who worked with RFK Jr. for years and has spent years filing lawsuits that sow doubt about the safety and efficacy of vaccines. 

In response, DNC Rapid Response Director Kendall Witmer released the following statement:

“RFK Jr. has turned our vaccine system into a circus. His panel of unqualified quacks is making reckless decisions that undermine confidence in our public health system and put children and families in harm’s way. Reckless decisions like these risk dangerous outbreaks and serious short and long-term public health consequences. Families shouldn’t have to worry that RFK Jr. will stand in the way of being able to protect themselves and their loved ones.” 

RFK Jr. has already limited access to vaccines, including who can get COVID-19 vaccines. Just weeks ago, he directed the CDC to eliminate its guidance that vaccines do not cause autism, an unprecedented order that experts warn will stoke parents’ fears about life-saving vaccines and cause even more chaos and confusion regarding their safety. 

Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, who worked as a liver specialist for many years and has long supported the use of the hepatitis B vaccine, called the vaccine advisory committee “totally discredited” ahead of today’s vote. 

Cassidy, who cast a crucial vote to confirm RFK Jr. to lead HHS, now appears to have some buyer’s remorse, as RFK Jr. continues his crusade to eliminate crucial vaccine recommendations, despite assuring Cassidy he would not limit access to vaccines.