Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. just dismissed numerous members of a key advisory committee responsible for the U.S. vaccine injury compensation program, as per The Hill. This action is a huge signal that the HHS secretary is ready to fundamentally change federal vaccine policy, and honestly, the implications for the $5 billion fund are concerning.
At least half of the eight members serving on the little-known Advisory Commission on Childhood Vaccines (ACCV) were removed before their terms were even up. Among those dismissed were pediatric researcher Wendy Lane, pediatrician Natasha Burgert, and pediatrician Joshua Williams, along with attorney Veronica McNally.
Lane, who had only been appointed in early 2025 and attended a single meeting, confirmed she received an email saying her “service as a member of the AACV is no longer required.” When she followed up for clarification on the sudden dismissal, she was told that committee service is at the discretion of the HHS secretary. The official reasoning offered was incredibly vague: “From time to time, the administration may make changes to committee membership to align with evolving priorities, statutory considerations or administrative needs.”
That sounds like a textbook definition of a political purge, if you ask me
The ACCV reviews and makes recommendations to the HHS secretary regarding the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP). Essentially, they decide which vaccines and conditions the program covers. The VICP itself is a massive $5 billion trust fund, created way back in 1986, designed to provide quick payouts to families who can prove a child was injured by a vaccine. The fund has distributed about $5 billion since 1988.
The money comes from an excise tax paid by vaccine makers. In exchange for that tax, drug companies get a limited liability shield. This means that families file claims against the federal government, not the manufacturers themselves, and they can get compensation without having to prove the drugmakers were negligent.
Kennedy has long targeted this program. While many experts agree the VICP is badly in need of modernization, they’re terrified of the comprehensive changes Kennedy wants to make. The HHS chief has previously pushed the debunked claim that vaccines cause autism. He has argued that the VICP’s liability shield removes any incentive for companies to make safe shots. He wants to speed up claim resolutions and greatly expand the list of eligible conditions.
This is where the real danger lies. Experts warn that if Kennedy implements his desired changes, he could bankrupt the $5 billion fund or tear it down entirely. That would be awful for families who rely on those payouts. Furthermore, the threat of removing the liability shield could drive drugmakers completely out of the market, seriously threatening access to crucial childhood shots for everyone.
If you’re wondering if this is a one-off event, it definitely isn’t. This wave of dismissals strongly echoes Kennedy’s actions when he completely remade the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. After several members of that group received emails informing them their service was terminated, Kennedy publicly confirmed in an op-ed that he was firing the entire committee and handpicking all their replacements.
Published: Jan 15, 2026 12:00 pm