Washington, D.C. — Today, Rep. Robert Garcia, Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, demanded answers from Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted to remove the universal recommendation that all infants receive a vaccine against hepatitis B at birth, changing the childhood vaccine schedule without any scientific basis. The letter demands HHS provide any data that was used to inform the vote, documentation on how the ACIP meeting was influenced by conflicts of interest and anti-vaccine activists, and documentation of the expected impacts on the health of American children.
“I am deeply concerned by Secretary Kennedy’s radical takeover of the Department of Health and Human Services, especially the most recent decision to remove the recommendation that all babies receive the hepatitis B vaccine at birth. It is clear this agency no longer prioritizes the health of the American people, but instead prioritizes uplifting conspiracy theorists and anti-vaxx propaganda. Secretary Kennedy must prove why this decision was made by the ACIP before children across the country face the consequences,” said Ranking Member Robert Garcia
In the letter, Ranking Member Robert Garcia wrote, “Removing the universal recommendation for the hepatitis B vaccine fuels vaccine skepticism by implying that receiving the vaccine may be dangerous for infants, when the truth is that the universal dose of the hepatitis B vaccine has saved tens of thousands of children’s lives. In light of these deeply concerning changes and Secretary Kennedy’s history of anti-vaccine activism, Committee Democrats have been conducting oversight of HHS and its operating divisions.”
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