President Trump’s former surgeon general blasted Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy’s Jr.’s decision to fire the entirety of a federal advisory committee vaccine guidance, saying the move jeopardizes public health and threatens public trust in health institutions.
In an op-ed published by Time, former Surgeon General Jerome Adams wrote that Kennedy’s recent actions cast doubt over his pledge that “We won’t take away anyone’s vaccines.”
He pointed to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) new framework limiting access to COVID-19 vaccines; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) no longer recommending the shot for children and pregnant women; and the removal of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).
“These actions collectively restrict access to a vital tool for saving lives and undermine confidence in our health systems,” Adams, who served in the Trump administration from 2017 to 2021, wrote.
“The major flaw in the new vaccine framework is its narrow assessment of risk. Although the immediate dangers of COVID-19 have lessened, it remains a leading cause of death and hospitalization, claiming nearly 50,000 lives in the U.S. in 2024 — more than breast cancer or car accidents,” he added.
Kennedy on Wednesday announced eight new members of ACIP to replace the 17 that he had fired. Among the new members were noted spreaders of COVID-19 misinformation. As Endpoints News reported, two of the new picks were previously paid expert witnesses for plaintiffs in a lawsuit against Merck over its HPV and MMR vaccines. Kennedy had financial interests in the HPV lawsuit before divesting upon being confirmed.
In his Thursday op-ed, Adams lamented that seniors and pregnant mothers are at a higher risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes, and the dismissal of ACIP members only “amplifies these concerns.”
“ACIP has been a trusted, science-driven body that ensures vaccines are safe and effective, saving countless lives through its transparent recommendations. Its members, rigorously vetted for expertise and conflicts of interest, provide independent guidance critical to public health,” he wrote. “Removing them without clear evidence of misconduct risks replacing qualified scientists with less experienced voices.”
In social media posts following his op-ed, Adams insinuated perjury had taken place, reposting epidemiologist and health economist Eric Feigl-Ding who said Kennedy’s promises of not taking away vaccines were “lies, damn lies.”
“No matter your stance on vaccines, or FDA, or CDC, reasonable and patriotic people should be able to agree that perjury (or even the appearance of intent to deceive Congress) is not an appropriate means to justify a desired end,” said Adams.
Adams has shared criticisms, some veiled, of the Trump administration’s actions and picks for key health positions in recent weeks. After Trump announced Casey Means as his new nominee for surgeon general, Adams took to social media to highlight Means’s lack of credentials in comparison to prior surgeon generals such as himself.
Writing on the social media platform X earlier this month, Adams wrote, “I do not know and have nothing against Dr. Means – but I feel strongly that the person who is leading America’s Public Health Service should be held to the same standard as the people he or she is leading.”
