FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 11, 2025
Media Contact:
Julie Hirschhorn
AAFP Public Relations
jhirschhorn@aafp.org
A series of recent decisions made by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) have damaged public confidence and placed public health in danger. The American Academy of Family Physicians has spoken out constructively about individual moves made by the Secretary over the past five months. Today, we are speaking out to denounce the collective harm being caused by recent decisions associated with vaccine policy, and we call on Congress to intervene before irreparable damage is done.
Dismantling of Vaccine Trust
Trust is foundational to our health care system. Family physicians are identified by patients as being the most trusted advisors and advocates in health care. The Secretary’s disregard for science and public health is evident in his decision to unilaterally change the vaccine schedule for children and pregnant women and by his decision to remove all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).
By abruptly dismissing these dedicated experts, the Secretary’s decision ignores the rigorous processes that have protected our nation’s health and built public trust in immunizations for years. Furthermore, on May 28, the Secretary announced changes to COVID-19 boosters without releasing data, without providing ACIP the opportunity to review and debate, without providing medical societies with the opportunity to review and publicly comment and with disregard for the established process for modifying immunization schedules. This action is disruptive, disrespects the expertise of vaccine experts who serve the American people and leaves health care clinicians without credible, evidence-based recommendations.
These actions put patients last and they stand to jeopardize the timely delivery of vaccines, delay the implementation of critical immunization recommendations and fuel misinformation during a time when public confidence in vaccines is already fragile.
Diminishing Health Care Leadership
If our nation’s top health care leaders truly believe in transparency, accountability and science-based decision-making, this is the wrong path forward. We remain steadfast in our commitment to ensuring that every patient and every family has access to safe, effective health care — especially vaccines — because public health cannot afford to take a step backward. We deserve a leader who shares that commitment.
###
About the American Academy of Family Physicians
The AAFP is the largest national association of family physicians, representing 128,300 physicians and medical students. Family medicine’s cornerstone is an ongoing, personal patient-physician relationship focused on impactful care for people of all ages, races and genders across all medical conditions. The AAFP supports every stage of a family physician's career and provides evidence-based resources, advocacy and community to empower family medicine. To learn more, visit aafp.org. For information about health care, medical conditions and wellness, please visit the AAFP’s patient education website, familydoctor.org.