President Trump’s former surgeon basic blasted Well being and Human Companies Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s resolution to fireside the whole lot of a federal advisory committee on vaccine steerage, saying the transfer jeopardizes public well being and threatens public belief in well being establishments.
In an op-ed printed by Time, former Surgeon Basic Jerome Adams wrote that Kennedy’s latest actions solid doubt over his pledge that, “We won’t take away anyone’s vaccines.”
He pointed to the Meals and Drug Administration’s (FDA) new framework limiting entry to COVID-19 vaccines; the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC) not recommending the shot for youngsters and pregnant girls; and the removing of members on 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,” mentioned Adams, who served within the Trump administration from 2017 to 2021.
“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.
In his Thursday op-ed, Adams lamented that seniors and pregnant moms are at the next danger of extreme COVID-19 outcomes, and the dismissal of the ACIP members solely “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 well being economist Eric Feigl-Ding who mentioned Kennedy’s guarantees of not taking away vaccines have been “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,” Adams mentioned within the put up on social platform X.
Adams has shared criticisms, some veiled, of the Trump administration’s actions and picks for key well being positions in latest weeks. After Trump introduced Casey Means as his new nominee for surgeon basic, Adams took to social media to spotlight Means’s lack of credentials compared to prior surgeon generals corresponding to himself.
Writing on X earlier this month, Adams mentioned, “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.”
