Health officials are reeling after the White House ordered a “fast track” review of the entire pediatric vaccine schedule, as per The Hill. Last week, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which is now largely staffed with people handpicked by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., voted to end the recommendation that all newborns receive a birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine.
This is a profound shift in federal immunization policy, and it shows that President Trump is following up on his campaign promise from last October to let his health secretary “go wild on health.” Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic who has previously trashed top medical journals, is clearly running roughshod over the systems that have been in place for decades to maintain public trust in vaccine safety. He confirmed the massive policy push himself, posting on X, “Thank you, Mr. President. We’re on it.”
The nation’s health agencies are being fundamentally remade in Kennedy’s image. Supporters of the new “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) agenda are celebrating this disruption, following RFK Jr.’s $18 billion NIH slash. Robert Malone, who now serves as vice-chair of ACIP, wrote that this development is the most profound threat to the “power of the academic-industrial-government vaccine complex.”
If you’re a parent, this news is probably jarring
Public health officials are already raising serious alarms about the speed and scope of these changes. Michelle Taylor, the Commissioner of the Baltimore City Health Department, voiced major concern that these moves will be “detrimental to an already confused public.” Chrissie Juliano, executive director of the Big Cities Health Coalition, admitted that she was naive in thinking that these longstanding systems could be broken so quickly.
The scope of this new review isn’t limited to just the pediatric schedule, either. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced this week that it is expanding its existing investigation into possible pediatric deaths from the COVID-19 vaccine to include possible deaths in adults. This move was called “overdue” by pro-MAHA groups, who say the public deserves a clear accounting of what the FDA knows.
The agency is also turning its attention to newly approved preventive treatments for RSV. The FDA has launched a safety review into two monoclonal antibodies for RSV, Beyfortus and Enflonsia. This is a massive issue for the companies involved. Sanofi, the maker of Beyfortus, quickly issued a statement highlighting that no safety issue has been identified so far, noting that the product has already prevented an estimated 70,000 hospitalizations and emergency room visits in the U.S. alone.
A core philosophy driving these changes is the desire to align the U.S. with European policies. During the ACIP meeting last week, officials frequently compared the U.S. schedule to countries like Denmark, where the hepatitis B shot isn’t standard for children. Monique Yohanan, a senior fellow at Independent Women, supports this approach, saying that America has a philosophy that “earlier [vaccination] is better” and that looking at other countries is worthwhile.
Published: Dec 11, 2025 01:30 pm