One of the disbanded advisory groups was the NIH Center for Scientific Review Advisory Council, created in 1988. That council did not evaluate grant proposals; instead it counseled NIH officials on how to distribute research funds.
“Be outraged”
Outside NIH, the CDC saw nine advisory panels dissolved, including ones like ACIP that were weakened. Four advisory committees were also ended at the FDA.
The report says the abolished or compromised panels covered areas such as childhood vaccines, inherited disorders in newborns and children, Alzheimer’s disease, health equity, infection control in healthcare settings, rural health, novel and exceptional technologies, long COVID, and the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF).
In January, HHS added 21 individuals to the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee, a panel that tracks autism research and progress on causes, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. At least eight of those appointees share Kennedy’s belief in the discredited claim that vaccines cause autism. Following the appointments, autism researchers and advocates formed an independent nongovernmental advisory committee to counter the expected misinformation from the federal panel.
At the FDA, the advisory panels that were ended dealt with arthritis, medical imaging drugs, pharmaceutical sciences, and patient engagement.
Overall, the report concludes that Kennedy’s assault on these expert advisory bodies is weakening the biomedical sector and the nation’s health—and that repairing the damage may be slow and difficult.
“All Americans—patients, lawmakers, and scientists alike—have every reason to be outraged by the harm Trump has inflicted on federal health advisory committees,” Michael Abrams, a senior health researcher at Public Citizen and author of the report, said. “Trump’s actions are eroding biomedical research, undermining long-standing processes for approving new drugs and medical devices, and weakening federal vaccine policy. Muzzling and skewing outside experts leaves HHS vulnerable to stagnation and corruption that harms the health of all Americans.”
