Trump watch: Senator questions authority of new vaccine panel and asbestos ban is under threat

The first meeting of the US vaccine advisory committee since all previous members were fired is attracting controversy before it has even begun.

On 24 June, two days before the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advisory committee on immunisation practice (ACIP) was to meet, Senator Bill Cassidy called for the meeting to be postponed1 citing the inexperience and potential biases of new members appointed by health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, who replaced all 17 previous committee members earlier this month.

Cassidy, who previously supported Kennedy’s confirmation, questioned the panel’s legitimacy and its ability to evaluate vaccines like mRNA covid-19 jabs.

The agenda for the meeting includes2 items on thimerosal containing flu vaccines and measles, mumps, and rubella vaccination in children under 5. An additional third day of the meeting on 27 June was also announced, with no agenda published publicly.

Separately, the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy’s vaccine integrity project is emerging as one of the leading contenders for an independent vaccine advisory panel3 in response to Kennedy’s ACIP replacement.4