Trump Administration Cancels CDC Vaccine Advisory Committee Meeting

The panel had been scheduled to meet for three days starting on Feb. 25.

Members of the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) attend a meeting at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters in Atlanta on Dec. 4, 2025. Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images

Trump administration officials have canceled the February meeting of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) advisory committee, as a federal judge weighs blocking changes that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made to the panel.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is listed on the CDC’s website as having a meeting from Feb. 25 to Feb. 27.

Andrew Nixon, a spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services, the CDC’s parent agency, told The Epoch Times via email on Feb. 19 that the meeting will not occur at that time.

“We will not hold the ACIP meeting later this month,” he said.

The department declined to explain why the meeting was canceled.

“Further information will be shared as available,” Nixon said.

Josh Michaud, associate director of global health and public health policy at the nonprofit KFF, told reporters earlier on Feb. 19 that he was skeptical the meeting would take place, because a federal rule requires public notice outlining hearing details 15 days prior, and that notice had not been issued.

The ACIP provides advice to the CDC on immunization practices and guidance.

Kennedy removed all ACIP members in 2025, citing how some had conflicts of interest.

He selected new members, including Dr. Robert Malone, a critic of COVID-19 vaccines, and Dr. Cody Meissner, who had previously served on the committee.

The ACIP later in 2025 voted to recommend that the CDC continue endorsing annual influenza shots, provided that they do not contain the mercury-based preservative thimerosal, recommend a second passive immunization against respiratory syncytial virus, and scale back guidance for vaccines against COVID-19 and hepatitis B.

The recommendations were all approved by Kennedy or the CDC’s leader.

Kennedy and other officials in January agreed to stop broadly recommending vaccines against multiple diseases, including influenza, for children. They did not mention any consultation with the ACIP. On a call with reporters, officials said they expected to discuss future changes to the CDC’s vaccine guidance with the panel.

Health organizations, including the American Public Health Association, have been seeking an injunction blocking the changes to both the ACIP and the childhood vaccine schedule. During a hearing on Feb. 13, the federal judge overseeing the case said he may enter such an injunction. As of Feb. 19, he has not issued a ruling.

Two other ACIP meetings are on the books for this year, one in mid-June and the other in late October. The committee convened four times in 2025.