In this edition of AcademyHealth’s Situation Report, we track a wave of high-stakes federal actions with serious implications for health care access, research, and public trust. HHS Secretary RFK Jr. has removed all members of the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel, replacing them with controversial figures amid growing concerns over the politicization of vaccine policy. At the same time, the House passed a rescission package that would cut billions in funding for global health programs, while over 90 NIH authored a letter in dissent of deep research cuts and political interference. We’re also asking for your help: If your AHRQ-funded research has been delayed or cancelled, share your story to help us document the broader impact.
In today’s issue:
- RFK Overhauls Vaccine Committee, Cites Disputed Studies in Defense of Vax Schedule Changes
- Rescission Package Passes the House, Heads to the Senate
- Senate Requests Input from Health Care Providers on Proposed Republican Budget Bill
- NIH Employees Sign Letter in Protest of Research Cuts
- New Report Describes How Hospitals Would Be Impacted by Medicaid Cuts
- ICYMI: Share Your Story with AcademyHealth
RFK Overhauls Vaccine Committee, Cites Disputed Studies in Defense of Vax Schedule Changes
Health secretary RFK Jr. fired all 17 members of the expert panel that advises the CDC on immunizations, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). ACIP studies both vaccines in the regulatory pipeline and those that have been recently licensed by the FDA, advising the CDC on who they should be offered to upon approval. ACIP recommendations must be approved by the CDC director, a position currently vacant, or the HHS secretary to go into practice – RFK Jr. has not approved three ACIP recommendations from the last meeting in April 2025.
In an Op-Ed explaining this decision, Secretary Kennedy claimed that this move was intended to avoid conflicts of interest and restore faith in vaccines. However, some of the newly-appointed ACIP members are drawing scrutiny, having advanced anti-vaccine theories and misinformation, such as a physician who spread COVID-19 misinformation and conspiracy theories, Dr. Robert Malone. Other new ACIP members include Vicky Pebsworth, a board member of the National Vaccine Information Center, a group widely criticized for spreading vaccine misinformation, and Retsef Levi, a professor who has criticized COVID-19 vaccines.
Fired committee members and vaccine experts predict upheaval in vaccination policy following this move, anticipating that providers will not follow the CDC vaccination schedule. Already, under Secretary Kennedy’s leadership the CDC has removed the COVID-19 vaccine from the recommended immunization schedule for healthy children and pregnant people, with HHS citing disputed studies and misrepresenting findings in a document sent to Congress supporting these changes. Experts note that the document contains “willful medical disinformation” about the safety of COVID-19 vaccines for children and pregnant people. In bypassing the CDC’s formal process for adjusting its vaccine schedules for adults and children, experts note that RFK Jr.’s anti-vaccine views may already be influencing federal vaccine policymaking.
Rescission Package Passes the House, Heads to the Senate
The recently passed rescission package, known as the "Rescissions Act of 2025" (H.R. 4), was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives on June 12, 2025, with a narrow vote of 214–212. This legislation seeks to eliminate approximately $9.4 billion in federal spending, targeting discretionary funds previously allocated to various programs. The bill specifically rescinds about $8.3 billion from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and $1.1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which supports National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). The proposed cuts to USAID will impact dozens of lifesaving international health programs, including research and treatment provisions for HIV and AIDS, maternal and child health, malnutrition, and devastating infectious diseases. These proposed cuts, advanced under the guise of fiscal responsibility, have been decried by foreign affairs representatives and public health officials alike; without the lifesaving care provided by USAID, hundreds of thousands of people may die, and millions of people, including U.S. citizens, will be at increased risk of infectious diseases. The bill now proceeds to the Senate, where a simple majority is required to pass the bill along to Trump for a final approval.
Senate Requests Input from Health Care Providers on Proposed Republican Budget Bill
On June 12, 2025, Senator Bernie Sanders, Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), issued a request to health care providers nationwide for input on the potential impacts of the proposed Republican budget bill. This legislation aims to reduce federal health care funding by over $1 trillion, resulting in approximately 16 million individuals losing their health insurance coverage.
Senate Republicans are facing a tight, self-imposed timeline to pass the reconciliation bill by July 4th. Senator Sanders emphasized the absence of committee hearings or markups in the Senate’s consideration of the bill, highlighting the need for direct feedback from health care professionals. He invites responses from a broad spectrum of providers from across the country to hear how the proposed Medicaid cuts would affect organizations and patients.
If you are a health care provider, researcher, or patient advocate, consider sharing your input by June 20th.
NIH Employees Sign Letter in Protest of Research Cuts
The Bethesda Declaration, released on June 9th, 2025, is a public letter signed by over 90 scientists and researchers from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), expressing dissent against policies enacted under the Trump administration that they argue undermine scientific integrity and public health. The declaration criticizes a number of recent actions of the current administration, including the termination of nearly $9.5 billion of research grant funding, disrupting critical clinical trials and wasting public resources. The letter also highlights concerns over the politicization of research, particularly studies related to health disparities, long COVID, climate change, and gender- and sex-related health concerns. The letter was addressed to NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and members of Congress overseeing the NIH. In response, Bhattacharya acknowledged the dissent but stated that the declaration misrepresented recent NIH policy directions. The protest has garnered support from dozens of external scientists, including Nobel laureates, further emphasizing the widespread concern within the scientific community. You can view the full letter text and signatories here.
New Report Describes How Hospitals Would Be Impacted by Medicaid Cuts
A recent analysis by the Urban Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found that Medicaid cuts will have severe impacts on hospitals in both Democratic and Republican states. To pay for a portion of the cost of cutting taxes in budget reconciliation, Republicans are using federal Medicaid funding cuts. Nonpartisan congressional scorekeepers projected that 11 million people would become uninsured due to the bill that reduces federal spending by $797 billion. According to the Urban report, over ten years, Medicaid provisions in the Republican’s tax bill would reduce Medicaid payments to hospitals by $321 billion and cost hospitals $63 billion due to an increase in uncompensated care to people without insurance. Moreover, the report indicates that premium subsidies for insurance bought on the Affordable Care Act marketplaces will expire at the end of the year, and if not extended, would translate to an additional $103 billion loss to hospitals.
ICYMI: Share Your Story with AcademyHealth
AcademyHealth is collecting stories from across the health services research community to document the real-world impact of federal policy and funding changes. What happens when research is delayed, defunded, or derailed? What’s lost—for patients, for communities, for progress? Help us show policymakers and the public what’s truly at stake when research is sidelined. Your story can inform advocacy, spark action, and protect progress. Share your story here.
Previous Updates
This is the latest in a series of Situation Report updates from AcademyHealth. You can find prior issues here.
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