Sen. Bernie Sanders Calls for Bipartisan Investigation into Mass Dismissal of CDC Vaccine Experts

According to a June 16 news release, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), the ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, is calling for a bipartisan investigation into Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s mass dismissal of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) at the CDC. In a letter to HELP Committee Chairman Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Sanders condemned the unprecedented firings, warning that Kennedy’s replacement of nonpartisan vaccine experts with ideologically motivated individuals undermines public health and contradicts promises Kennedy made during his confirmation.

The dismissed ACIP members were responsible for providing science-based vaccine guidance that influences national immunization practices and insurance coverage. Their replacements, according to Sanders, include individuals with limited expertise and a history of promoting vaccine misinformation. The move has drawn sharp criticism from the medical community, including an emergency resolution from the American Medical Association urging congressional oversight. Sanders warned Kennedy’s actions reflect a broader campaign of disinformation that could result in preventable illness and death.