Trump praises some vaccines while HHS under RFK Jr. reshapes CDC panels and state moves target mandates

On Sept. 5, 2025, President Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that "The polio vaccine I think is amazing" and that "you have vaccines that work," praising COVID shots as well. The remarks came one day after senators from both parties rebuked HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at a congressional hearing over his administration's restrictions on COVID vaccine access.

On June 9, 2025, Kennedy removed all 17 members of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices via email, notifying them of "immediate termination." ACIP members typically serve staggered terms. Kennedy replaced the entire committee with his own hand-selected members, including individuals who had publicly expressed vaccine-skeptic views.

CDC Director Susan Monarez was fired on Aug. 27, 2025, less than one month after being sworn in on July 31. Monarez testified on Sept. 17 that Kennedy told her the "childhood vaccine schedule would be changing starting in Sep." and she "needed to be on board." She refused to cede to demands to pre-approve vaccine recommendations and fire career scientists.

On Aug. 27, 2025, the FDA — under pressure from Kennedy's HHS — limited COVID-19 vaccine authorization to people 65 and older and those at least 6 months old with underlying health conditions. Major pharmacies began restricting appointments under the new policy, creating access barriers for working-age adults who had previously received annual boosters.

Kennedy stated the reconstituted ACIP needed "a clean sweep" to "reestablish public confidence in vaccine science." The revamped panel voted 12-0 in September 2025 to recommend shared clinical decision-making for COVID vaccines rather than routine vaccination for adults under 65, softening the prior universal recommendation.

Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo announced on Sept. 3, 2025, that Florida would end state vaccine mandates for hepatitis B, chickenpox, Hib influenza, and pneumococcal disease for schoolchildren. Mandates for measles, polio, diphtheria, pertussis, mumps, and tetanus remained in place pending legislative action.

The United States recorded 2,242 confirmed measles cases in 2025 — a significant increase from 2024. During January-April 17 alone, 800 cases were reported, with 82% associated with an outbreak in close-knit communities with low vaccination coverage in New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. Measles was declared eliminated from the U.S. in 2000; the 2025 case count represented the highest total in decades.

The American Academy of Pediatrics and other medical organizations sued to block Kennedy's vaccine policy changes. A federal judge temporarily halted ACIP meetings in April 2026, finding the reconstituted committee's appointments and operating rules may have violated federal advisory committee law. Four top CDC officials resigned in protest over the direction of vaccine policy under Kennedy's tenure.